






w„ 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 






UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 




THE 

8ADDLE-HOESE 

A COMPLETE GUIDE 

FOR 

RIDING AND TRAINING. 

BY 

GEORGE E. WARING, Jr., 

AND 

EDWARD L. ANDERSON. 






ILLUSTRATED. 




NEW YORK: 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 

751 BROADWAY. 
1881. 




o 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1881, fcy tbc 

ORANGE JUDD COMPANY, 

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washinjrton. 



PUBLISHERS' PREFACE. 



The rapidly-growing fondness for horseback riding, 
among ladies as well as gentlemen, has created a large 
demand for a work on Saddle-Horses. We know of no 
writings so thoroughly practical and useful, and so com- 
pletely covering the subject, as the various papers of 
Col. Geo. E. Waring, Jr., heretofore printed in the 
< ' American Agriculturist. " We have accordingly brought 
these together in the present volume, supplementing them 
with a small work by E. L. Anderson, who is in England 
regarded as a standard authority. 

Any one, lady or gentleman, young or old, who desires 
to acquire the art of horsemanship, will find all that is 
required in this book. 



(5) 



CONTENTS. 



Page. 

Chapter I. 
How to Use a Horse 9 

Chapter II. 
In the Saddle 14 

Chapter HI. 
Bits and Bitting 31 

Chapter IV. 
The Mount, Reins, etc 42 

Chapter V. 
Horse Gymnastics 50 

Chapter VI. 
Hands and Legs 55 

Chapter VII. 
The Walk, Trot, Gallop, etc 62 

Chapter VIII. 
Vices, Tricks, and Faults 68 

Chapter IX. 
Early Education of the Horse _ 72 

Chapter X. 
French Method of Training _ 85 

Chapter XI. 
When Ladies Ride 93 



(7) 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES, 



CHAPTER I. 

HOW TO USE A HORSE. 

It is a matter of congratulation that the Americans are 
each year taking more kindly to horseback riding, with a 
growing desire, in all parts of the country, for a practical 
knowledge of the foundation of horsemanship. This is 
largely owing, doubtless, to the pleasure and benefit de- 
rived from the exercise, as well as to the fact that now 
considerable attention is being paid to breeding good 
saddle-horses, while the improvements in American sad- 
dlery have been so great, much of the discomfort and 
danger 01 hcrseback riding has been overcome. At the 
present time, there is an active demand for fine, hand- 
some, mettlesome, and gentle saddle-horses. Horseback 
ndmg is now considered by all classes as a graceful ac- 
complishment, and since people of wealth and culture 
have set the fashion, all the world follows it, as a matter 
of course. Fox-hunting, polo, and other horseback 
amusements are on the increase, necessitating a know- 
ledge of horsemanship on the part of those who partici- 
pate. Every American city now has its beautiful parks, 
(9) 



10 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

with bridle paths, and the pastime of horseback riding is 
largely indulged in by residents of the town, who find 
this one of the most delightful forms of exercise at their 
command. It is not so difficult to learn how to ride 
horseback properly as many people suppose. In most 
countries school-riding has advanced with the age, and it 
is now recognized, by the professors of the art, that each 
man has a seat peculiar to himself, and those movements 
only are practised that are necessary to give the rider 
control over his horse under all circumstances. 

When we see that school-riding, in one form or another, 
is used in all armies, and, indeed, wherever the horse 
must be under command, it is hardly necessary to argue 
the importance of a knowledge of its laws by all who 
desire to ride well. And although, in the extended 
gallop of the hunting-field, it is impossible to retain the 
equilibrium of the manege, the horse will be the more 
amenable for his schooling, and the rider will always 
have the resources of his art. 

Some writers upon horsemanship think it is a mistake 
to place children of a tender age upon horseback, while 
others are of the opinion that a child is none too young 
to learn as soon as it is able to sit upon a horse's back. 
In the South, and many parts of the West, children are 
often placed upon the back of some old and gentle horse 
while yet very young. The result is, they become accus- 
tomed to the movements of the animal, and gain a seat 
at a very early age. There is little danger, or risk of 
injuries, from such a course. As with the languages, 
music, and dancing, a child can hardly begin to learn 
how to ride horseback at too early an age. An active 



HOW TO USE A HORSE. 11 

man may learn to ride well at any age ; and a bold boy 
of fourteen, who comprehends the system upon which he 
is taught, may in six months become a good horseman. 
It is not given to all men to excel in riding : courage, 
activity, a perfect temper, and aptitude for the exercise 
are requisite for the acquirement of the highest skill. 
But a knowledge of a proper method will give to every 
one comparative immunity from the dangers that attend 
horsemanship. A schooled-horse, confiding in his master 
and obedient to the spur, is not apt to try his powers in 
rebellion ; and when in hand and properly gathered he 
will recover from a mistake that might otherwise prove 
disastrous. 

In these pages we present a system of riding and train- 
ing by which the pupil may become his own master. 

The whip and the spur are necessary aids in the educa- 
tion of the horse, and in compelling his obedience after 
he has been trained. The first should be seldom used, 
the latter never, to inflict punishment. For instance, if 
a horse rears, the spurs must be employed to force the 
action of the hind-quarters, and so to drive him forward ; 
but having brought about that result, they must not be 
thrust into him to punish him for rearing. The horse is 
to be taught that the spur is applied to make him bring 
certain forces into action, and when used with discretion 
he will respond to it ; but unnecessary strokes with the 
spur will rouse his resentment, and he will stubbornly 
refuse to obey its indications. It serves no good purpose 
to irritate a horse, as he will never yield while angry. A 
contest between horse and rider should always be avoided, 
for, in addition to the chances that the former will prove 



1% EIDTKG A^D TKAItflKG SADDLE-HORSES. 

the victor, a high-spirited animal may be made incurably 
vicious, when, by milder treatment, he could be subdued 
without endangering his usefulness. A rebuke in a harsh 
tone of voice will generally suffice to correct a horse, and 
he will not know how to resent it. The best way to con- 
trol the horse is through firmness and kindness, but 
timidity is worse than severity in inducing vice. 

The young horse soon becomes tractable, and, as long 
as his temper is unruffled, he desires to do that which is 
required of him. Until the spirit of rebellion is awak- 
ened, he is as anxious to avoid the perils of battle as his 
master should be. If, upon an occasion, he declines to 
perform some movement that is required of him, let his 
attention be turned to that which will please him, and 
his obedience in this will induce his obedience afterwards 
to the first demand. To give up to him after a battle 
will confirm his obstinacy, but he will soon forget his 
unnoticed defiance. Under proper treatment he will in 
time yield to the will of his master, without dreaming of 
resistance. 

The story of Tarleton taming his savage steed with 
bloody spurs, and the vivid descriptions of the manner in 
which the Mexican breaks the spirit of the mustang, may 
pass to adorn the pages of a romance, or to heighten the 
interest of a traveller's tale. But, aside from the cruelty 
and peril of such methods, there remains the fact that 
horses so broken submit for the time only, and the 
struggle is to be repeated more or less often. Except in 
those rare cases of horses naturally vicious, and they are 
lunatics, fear is the mastering passion of the horse. It 
is cowardice that drives him to desperate resistance 



HOW TO USE A HORSE. 13 

against the sway of his master ; the effort that is suc- 
cessful in ridding him of his tyrant suggests his favorite 
vice. 

If the horse is taught to calm his fears at the sound of 
the yoice of man ; if he is never ill-treated, in or out of 
the stable ; if he docs not perceive timidity upon the 
part of his masters ; and if, with all these conditions, 
he is given plenty of air and exercise, he will rarely 
show vice. 







CHAPTER II. 
IN THE SADDLE. 

In a little book, called "Man and Horse," published in 
England, the author, Mr. March Phillipps, gives most 
sensible directions for learning to ride. Most books on 
the subject are of such a professional character as to be 
nearly useless to an ordinary reader who wants to learn 
about riding in a common-sense way. 

Mr. Phillipps says : "You want to learn how to sit a 
horse. Very good ; then put aside for the present all 
anxiety about managing and guiding him. Yonr present 
business is, wherever he may go or whatever he may do, 
to continue steady upon his back. Therefore, leave it to 
some one else to take care that he goes where he ought 
and does nothing which he ought not. You are at pres- 
ent in the situation of a landsman going to sea, and must 
not think of steering until you have got yonr sea legs." 

This injunction suggests the fundamental principle of 
the whole art of learning to ride, which is to learn one 
thing at a time, and to learn that thing well, before 
attempting anything else. As there can be no good 
riding without a good seat, the learner's whole attention 
should be devoted for days or weeks or months, as may 
be necessary, to acquiring it, giving no thought to any- 
thing else. Never mind the management of the horse, 
that will come in due time. Learn to be as perfectly at 
(14) 



IK THE SADDLE. 15 

home in a constantly moving saddle as in a stationary 
arm-cliair — so that, whether the horse walks, trots, or 
canters, shies or jumps, you will either remain immov- 
ably in the saddle, or get back to your proper position 
when disturbed from it, without effort or loss of time. 
Bear in mind, too, that in acquiring a seat, it is just as 
easy to acquire a good one as a bad one, while only the 
good seat (and there is but one good seat) will enable you 
under all circumstances to ride safely and well. With- 
out a good seat, no amount of skill in the management 
of a horse will be of much use. So begin at the begin- 
ning, and devote your whole attention to acquiring an 
easy and secure position under all circumstances. Do 
not even trouble yourself about the manner of mounting 
and dismounting. 

The proper seat on horseback is one in which the 
crotch and the hips ate as firmly attached to the saddle 
as it is possibly for them to be ; the legs below the knee 
as free and independent as possible ; and the body, from 
the waist upward, perfectly supple and pliable. What- 
ever movement the horse makes, the hips must conform 
to it, moving to the right or the left, or tipping back- 
ward or forward, as the case may be. But while they 
follow the changing position of the saddle, the legs, from 
the knees downward, must be free to move in obedience 
to the rider's will ; and the upper part of the trunk, 
keeping its perfect balance, must move easily on a flex- 
ible spine and accommodate itself instinctively to every 
movement. 

If a man's body were cut off at the lower part of the 
waist, the natural pressure of the thighs against the 



16 EIDING AND TEAINIHG SADDLE-HORSES. 

saddle would easily hold the hips in a firm position. If 
a whalebone rose out of the severed trunk, supporting a 
heavy weight two feet above it, the hips would still be 
free to move with the saddle ; but if for the whalebone 
we were to substitute a stiff rod, the movement of the 
hips would communicate a movement to the weight, 
which in its turn, being at the long end of a lever, would 
wrench them from their position. 

The spine of the rider represents the whalebone or the 
rod, as the case may be, and the chest, head, and arms 
represent the weight. If the lower spine be kept flexible, 
the upper part of the body will not, from a sudden 
motion of the horse, be started from its position by the 
movement of the hips ; but if it be rigid, it will commu- 
nicate the movement to the heavy mass above, and this 
movement, once started, will be continued, acting on the 
spine as a lever to remove the hips from their place. 
This effect can be fully illustrated by standing erect and 
throwing the weight, first on one leg and then on the 
other, holding the lower spine, first supple and then 
rigid. We have dwelt thus long on this point, which is 
probably never thought of Dy one poor horseman out of 
five thousand, because it is the foundation of good riding. 
Until the ability to preserve a supple loin under all cir- 
cumstances is acquired, the rider is in danger of a fall at 
any moment ; and it will always be impossible for him 
to ride gracefully or with comfort. But while the supple 
loin is of the first importance, an erect position of the 
body is hardly less so. The position on horseback 
should resemble the position when sitting on a high 
stood, rather than on a low chair. On the chair, the 



1*8 THE SADDLE. 



17 



"Weight is supported on the seat, behind the hips, and the 
spine has a tendency to curve outward, and the shoulders 
and chest to droop forward. On the stool, the legs hang- 
ing down, the weight is supported more directly under 
the hips, the spine is curved inward, and the head and 




Fig. 1.— AN INSECURE SEAT. 

chest are more easily thrown backward. This is the 
position assumed by a good horseman ; the weight of the 
upper part of the body being supported on an inward- 
curving and flexible spine. And it is the position to 
which the learner must so accustom himself that it be- 



18 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



comes almost a second nature to assume it whenever in 
the saddle. As many of our readers are not familiar 
with the wonderful comic pictures of John Leach, in 
which the good and bad seat on horseback are better 










Fig. 2.— A SECURE SEAT. 



shown than anywhere else, we reproduce here two that 
will answer our purpose. 

Figure 1 shows the stiff and awkward bearing of an 
unaccustomed rider, who has hired a livery-stable horse 



IK THE SADDLE. 19 

for a holiday. Figure 2 the upright, lithe position of a 
good horseman. 

And now, how to get this seat. Saddle your horse, 
unbuckle the stirrups and take them out ; let the reins 
lie on his neck, and call in the services of a friend to hold 
and lead him. Divest yourself, in this way, of all respon- 
sibility as to his conduct. Get into the saddle in any 
way you please (the manner of mounting is a secondary 
consideration, and it may be learned later). Turn your 
toes inward, press your knees against the saddle, but not 
your calves, and open the back part of the thighs as far 
as possible. This will bring the flat of the thighs against 
the saddle, and give the largest possible contact with it. 
Curve the spine inward, and throw the shoulders back. 
This, being an unaccustomed position for you, will seem 
awkward, and will look awkward, and you can at first 
only maintain it at an expense of a considerable rigidity 
of the spine. Let your arms hang listlessly by your 
sides. Holding fast mainly by the knees, shift your seat 
from side to side with as little swaying as possible to the 
upper part of the body. Vary the exercise by swinging 
the body itself from side to side and from front to rear, 
while the seat is firm. Continue this exercise, no matter 
how long it takes, until your trunk is pivoted in your 
hips so that you can move it in any direction while keep- 
ing the spine curved inward. Do not at any time hug 
the horse's sides with the calves of the legs, but let the 
lower legs hang loosely. The thighs should neither hang 
too straight up and down, nor be raised too high at the 
knee, but should take that position which gives the 
firmest hold on the saddle. Having become perfectly at 



20 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

home while the horse is quiet, let him be led at a walk, 
increasing the speed after a tiine, and finally let him be 
galloped with a long bridle rein, until, under all his 
motions, you feel comfortable and easy, and have learned 
to depend only on your thighs and the flexibility of your 
body to maintain your position. Boys will learn this in 
less time than men, and some boys in less time than 
others ; but all must make up their minds to learn it, 
however long it takes, before they can become thor- 
oughly good horsemen and can really enjoy riding at all 
paces. 

The practice prescribed having been persevered in until 
the pupil has made himself perfectly at home in the 
saddle, and so suppled his loins that the motion given to 
the upper part of the body has no effect on the seat, he 
may now resume the stirrups and learn their use. They 
are very important as a matter of convenience and com- 
fort, but they should aid a rider to easily regain his seat 
when he has lost it, rather than to keep it. It is very 
fatiguing to ride, even at a walk, with the legs dangling 
at the horse's sides, and especially so when they are kept 
in the position already indicated — the only position that 
can give a secure seat. In walking, a gentle support of 
the stirrups will help keep the body from swaying from 
side to side as the horse moves. In trotting, where stir- 
rups are almost indispensable, they enable the horseman 
to either "rise to the trot," or to so distribute the shock 
in "riding hard," that it shall be no shock at all, but an 
easy, quick movement, distributed between the feet, the 
seat, and the thighs. 

The length of the stirrups should be carefully attended 



IK THE SADDLE. 21 

to. Take the proper position in the saddle, with the 
whole inner part of the thighs, as far down as the knees, 
pressing firmly and immovably against the saddle, and 
the legs below the knees hanging vertically — the toes 
pointing a little downward. Then have the stirrup- 
leathers so adjusted that the irons will just touch the 
hollows of the feet, giving them support without raising 
their position. There will then be no danger that the 
stirrups will disturb the seat, either by raising the knees 
or by the effort of the rider to reach down to them when 
the straps are too long, while by drawing back the feet, 
so that their balls rest on the irons, a leverage will be 
given — from the balls of the feet to the ankle joints — 
that will be sufficient to maintain an even pressure, even 
if the person is thrown a little from the saddle by the 
movement of the horse. As men's legs and their arms 
are generally of proportionate length, and as the stirrups 
are usually fastened a certain distance down on the sides 
of the saddle, the stirrups are of the proper length when 
the whole length of leathers and irons is a trifle less than 
that of the arm and hand ; that is, lay the tips of the 
fingers on the band of the leathers where they pass 
around the bolt on the saddle-tree, and draw the irons 
toward the arm-pit. If they just touch the muscle 
under the shoulder-blade (not reaching away into the 
ribs), the straps are usually of the right length. 

In ordinary riding, it is best to have the ball of the 
foot touch the stirrups, as the play of the ankle-joint 
gives more elasticity to the support ; but in rough gal- 
loping or leaping, it is best to "drive the feet home," 
and carry the stirrup in the hollows. Especially must 



22 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



small stirrups be avoided. The irons should not, of 
course, be so large that the boot-heels can, by any acci- 
dent, get through them, but there should be ample room 
for the foot to be thrust in and out with perfect freedom. 
This will be one of the best safeguards against the worst 
mishap that can befall an unhorsed rider— that of being 
dragged by the heels by a runaway horse, owing to the 
binding of the foot in the stirrup. There have been 
numerous devices made to prevent this calamity. The 




Fig. 3.— SAPETY STIRRUP. 

only one of them that is even tolerably sure (and that 
one is nearly perfect), is shown in figure 3. This is 
simply an arrangement for closing the back part of the 
iron by which the stirrup-leather is fastened to the 
saddle, with a movable piece held in place by a spring, 
exactly as the blade of a pocket-knife is held. It takes a 
sharp jerk to open this catch, but, unless it is allowed to. 
become fastened with rust, it will yield to much less 
strain than that of a falling rider. These safety irons 
are attached, as a matter of course, to all English saddle- 



IN THE SADDLE. 



23 



trees. We shall not here discuss the construction of sad- 
dles, but the beginner will be most likely to use the 
saddle that he can get most conveniently. Whether this 
is a "McClellan" saddle, figure 4, a Mexican, figure 5, 




Fig. 4.— MCCLELLAN SADDLE. 

or the better English saddle, figure 6, or the Whitman, 
is not very important at the commencement. 

Precisely as he has schooled his muscles to the require- 
ments of his new position without the aid of stirrups, so 
must the learner now learn to make proper use of them, 
and he should attempt nothing further until he has 
learned how to use these accessories — that is, how to use 
them as accessories only, not as an essential dependence. 
Their most important office is to rest the legs, and to 



24 



HIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



relieve the muscles of the fatiguing work of keeping the 
seat firm at all times. So long as there is no unusual 
disturbance of the position, it is well to depend mainly 
on the stirrups to preserve it ; but any sudden start, in 
whatever direction, should find the knees and thighs at 
once ready to perform their duty of grasping the saddle. 




Fig. 5. — MEXICAN SADDLE. 

This cannot be the case if the weight is thrown too much 
on the feet ; but it is also important to learn to stand in 
the stirrups (while the horse is in motion), turning so as 
to look to the rear, and to throw the weight first on one 
foot and then on the other ; in short, to assume every 
possible position rapidly and easily, for all this adds im- 



IN THE SADDLE. 



25 



mensely to the security, freedom, and grace of the seat. 
It is only in this way that one can hope to become so per- 
fect a horseman as to justify the old description as being 
"a part of the horse," of "seeming to grow out of the 
horse's back." 

This branch of the subject — acquiring a good seat with 
and without the aid of stirrups — may be appropriately 
closed by a quotation from " Man and Horse ": " When 




Fig. 6.— ENGLISH SADDLE. 

you can sit your horse perfectly in his trot and canter, 
you possess a seat such as not one rider in half-a-dozen 
ever acquires, you are still far from being a good 
horseman, you can not, indeed, properly speaking, be 
termed a horseman at all. But you may look forward 
with confidence to becoming what most men would con- 
sider an excellent horseman ; because you have had the 
patience and perseverance to drudge on until you have 
2 



26 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

been bumped and jolted into a smooth and solid union 
with your saddle. It is by the absence of this union, and 
by the abrupt shocks and displacements to which they 
are consequently exposed, that so many riders are dis- 
abled from acquiring the proper use of their hands and 
legs ; consequently from ever becoming masters of their 
horses." 

The next step should be to free yourself from your 
bondage to the person who has up to this time managed 
your horse for you ; and a real bondage it is, as you will 
find when you first attempt to take him in hand yourself. 
You may even have been somewhat accustomed to riding 
before your present exercises commenced, yet you will 
feel very awkward when you first attempt to repeat your 
lessons while managing the animal yourself ; for the 
mere fact of having to do something with your hands 
will have a tendency to constrain your position. It gives 
the body another employment, and the combination of 
demands upon it, and upon the attention, must be made 
familiar before it can become easy. There is no other 
rule than to learn one thing at a time, and then to learn 
the combination of each with all that has preceded it, 
before taking the next step; and this rule is equally 
applicable to the man and to the horse. Both are "get- 
ting the knack" of an artificial habit, and they must 
learn it gradually, or they will never learn it at all. 

Major Francis Dwyer, an English officer in the Austrian 
cavalry service, wrote a work on " Seats and Saddles, Bits 
and Bitting," which has the advantage of being, in some 
respects, different from other books about horsemanship. 

The theory advanced with regard to seats is, that at a 



IN THE SADDLE. 2? 

point of the horse's back, directly over the fourteenth 
vertebra — that is, about half way between the withers and 
the coupling (or top of the hips) — there is located what 
he calls the center of motion and the center of strength ; 
the central point from which the forces of the horse, 
when carrying weight, may be figuratively said to radiate. 
In other words, this is the point — the middle of the back 
— where weight can be most easily carried, where the 
least motion will be imparted to it, and where its distri- 
bution will be most equal over all four of the horse's feet; 
consequently, it is over th/s point that the rider's center 
of gravity should fall. As the rider should sit in the 
middle of his saddle in order that it may transmit his 
weight equally over so much of the horse's back as it 
touches, the middle of the saddle should be over this 
center of motion. As the fastening of the saddle by the 
girths should be directly under the rider's center of grav- 
ity, it follows that they should be under this center of 
motion. And, again, as it is important that when the 
rider's weight is transferred to the stirrups, it should not 
thereby be transferred to another point on the saddle, 
the attachment of the stirrups should also be in the 
center of the saddle. The reasoning on which these di- 
rections are based seem sound ; but they are so different 
from the practice in which the writer has been trained, 
that he cannot fully indorse the recommendation without 
trial, though he is quite ready to advise that they be borne 
in mind, and that they be conformed to as nearly as the 
construction of our present saddles will admit. His own 
inclination would be to set the saddle a little further for- 
ward, and to place the stirrups a little in advance of its 



28 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



center, adhering of course to the injunction that the 
rider's weight should be placed in the middle of the 
saddle, and the girths attached directly in its middle. 
Major Dwyer is undoubtedly correct in objecting to what 
is called the chair-seat, where the rider sits far back on 
the saddle and supports his legs by stirrups attached near 
its front ; and his illustration of the sort of seat that is 




***^=*^ =$^J|g| 



Fig. 7.— THE MODERN MILITARY SEAT. 

best (see fig. 7), is certainly very good indeed, and may 
well be taken as a model of elegance, ease, and safety for 
the imitation of the learner. 

Mr. Apperley, a celebrated English authority on fox- 
hunting, says : " When hounds find and go away, place 
yourself well down in your saddle, on your fork or twist ; 
and do not be standing up in your stirrups (as was for- 
merly the fashion, and the cause of many a dislocated 
neck), sticking out your rump as if it did not belong to 
you ;" and he accompanies his direction with a very in- 



IN THE SADDLE. 



29 




30 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



structive illustration of a bad and a good seat (fig. 8). 
As riding is an imitative art, there is really much more 
to be learned from these illustrations than from any de- 
scription that ifc is in our power to give ; but the rider 
should always bear in mind that a well-balanced horse, 
in turning to the right or the left, turns on its center of 
gravity, or "center of motion;" and that if the rider's 
weight is placed to the front or rear of this position, it 
will not only impede the horse's free ir ovement, but will 
feel much more disturbance than if in its proper position. 
The learner, if he really desires to become a first-rate 
horseman — and it is only when stimulated by this de- 
sire that one can really enjoy learning to ride — should 
consider well what experience has shown to be the best 
position (as indicated in our cuts), and continue his prac- 
tice until this position becomes the most easy and natural; 
it surely will become so by sufficient practice, and, when 
a good seat is once obtained, it can no more be forgotten 
than the art of swimming. 




CHAPTER III. 
BITS AND BITTING. 

The second part of Major Dwyer's book, which is per- 
haps even more valuable than the first, relates to " Bits 
and Bitting ," and he shows more conclusively, than any 
writer who has preceded him, the importance of great 
care in the adjustment and management of the bit and 




Fig. 9.— HEAD-GEAK FOB YOUNG HORSES. 

bridle, giving some opinions which are quite new to the 
writer, and which are obviously important. 

His device for the head-gear of a young horse that is 
to be broken for any purpose, or of any horse that is to 
be trained to the saddle, we show in figure 9. This is an 
(31) 



33 HIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

ordinary snaffle-bridle, with a single pair of reins, with 
the check-pieces drawn short enough to cause the bit to 
touch lightly in the corners of the mouth. There is at- 
tached to it, by two straps buckled one into each check- 
piece, a nose-band, or strap, which passes around the 
nose quite below the bit, but high enough to take its 
bearing on the bone rather than on the cartilage of the 
nose. This strap is drawn tight enough to prevent the 
horse from opening his mouth to any considerable width. 
There is no way in which a colt does more to make him- 
self insensible to the action of the bridle than by stretch- 
ing open his jaw and bearing against the bit. From the 
position of this nose-band, it is entirely out of the way 
of both bridle and bit ; and as the mouth is not entirely 
bound together by it, it can in no way interfere with 
proper control by the rider. It simply prevents the 
horse from resorting to a very common means of defence. 
Another apparatus described must be very useful not 
only in training, but in the management of all horses 
who have the trick of carrying their heads so high as to 
cause the bit, when pulled upon, to ride up into the cor- 
ners of their mouths instead of bearing, as it should do, 
against the lower jaw. It should be equally valuable in 
preventing an animal from tossing his head in a fitful 
way, as many horses do. It is at the same time entirely 
free from the grave objections that hold against all forms 
of martingales, having nothing whatever to do with the 
reins, and subjecting the horse to no constraint so long 
as he carries his head in the proper position. It is called 
a "running-rein," and is shown in figure 10. A short 
strap, d, about six inches long, with a buckle at each end, 



bits and bitting. 



33 



is fastened to two rings of the snaffle, and passes under 
the horse's chin. At the middle of this strap there is 
attached another, i, three or four inches long, at the end 
of which there is a stout smooth ring, c, an inch or more 
in diameter. There is a strap, &, around the neck which 
supports another, I, that passes back to the girth of the 
saddle, as with the ordinary martingale ; but this latter 
strap, instead of being split into two parts, as in the 




II 

Fig. 10.— RUNNING-REIN. 

martingale, extends six or eight inches beyond the neck- 
strap, where it carries another smooth ring, ~b, somewhat 
larger than the one under the chin. These rings are bet- 
ter made of ivory ; but iron, if smooth, would answer 
tolerably well. The " running-rein," e to f, is of the 
width of an ordinary bridle-strap, eight and a half feet 
long. It not made of one piece of leather, its joints 
should not be within two feet of the center. One of its 



34 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

ends is furnished with a buckle, and a tongue-strap 
eighteen inches long, which is to be buckled through a 
staple or D-ring on the left side of the saddle near the 
pommel. The other end of the strap is then passed 
through the ring, b, in front of the horse's breast, then 
through the ring, c, under his chin, then again through 
the breast-ring, b, and brought up to the rider's right 
hand,/. This arrangement gives him more power to 
draw the horse's head down to its proper position than 
any other device in use. £>o long as the animal behaves 
himself, the slackening of the " running-rein" leaves him 
perfect freedom, but, when necessary, the least pull acts 
with double force on his head and draws it in a down- 
ward direction. 

Whether a horse is to be used for riding or for driving, 
there is no doubt that the use of the " running-rein," 
and the nose-band bridle would offer the best means for 
his proper training, and would do very much to prevent 
the restiveness that is so common a result of the ordinary 
methods, and would often prevent the trainer's loss of 
temper, which has more effect in spoiling the disposition 
of the animal than have his own inherited qualities. 

Even more important than the Saddle — so far as the 
management of the horse is concerned — is ihs apparatus 
by which his movements are to be regulated and re- 
strained : that is, the "Bit." The various forms of bit 
sold by saddlers, even in the largest cities, are almost in- 
variably faulty. They are made without much consider- 
ation of the use to which they are to be put, and often 
fail to produce much effect, except as a means of tortur- 
ing the horse into a kind of sullen obedience. It is one of 



BITS AND BITTING. 35 

the offices of the bit to produce pain ; but only when the 
horse resists its action, and then only so much as may be 
necessary to secure submission to the rider's will. As he 
will instinctively yield to a pressure that would cause pain 
if he did not yield, and as, if the pain is produced from 
both directions, he will try so to move as to escape from 
that which is the more intense, it is of the greatest im- 
portance that the bit be constructed in such a manner, 
and so placed in the mouth, as to impel his head in the 
right direction— that is, toward the rider's hand. 

The bit rests against the "bars" of the lower jaw, 
those parts of the jaw where there are no teeth. It has 
two levers, one at each side ; one end of each of these 
levers projects upward, carrying the chain that passes 
under the chin, and the other ends project downward to 
receive the reins, by which the force is to be applied. 
The object is to have the chin serve as a fulcrum, so that 
when a strain is applied to the lower ends of the levers, 
the pressure on the bars will be sufficiently suggestive of 
pain to cause the horse to draw in his head. If, from 
bad construction or improper adjustment, the chain be- 
comes more painful than the bit, the horse will withstand 
the lesser pain in his mouth to escape the greater pain 
behind it, and will thrust out his head in obedience to 
the real impulsion. In this case the bit is virtually the 
fulcrum, and the stronger impression is produced by the 
chain. It is in the principle herein suggested that we are 
to seek the solution of the greatest difficulties connected 
with proper bitting ; and its close observance is necessary 
to complete success. In nine cases out of ten the arrange- 
ment of the bit is so faulty, that it is impossible for it to 



36 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



act as it should, and instead of inducing obedience, we 
arouse opposition. The reason for the prejudice against 
curb-bits, among those who consider them instruments 
of lorture, is, that as they are generally used, they are 
instruments of torture. " It is impossible to ride really 
well on an average horse without a curb-bit ; but it is 
impossible to ride well on any horse, unless the curb-bit 
is properly made and properly adjusted. Its importance 




Fig". 11. — (HERB-BITTING. 

is sufficient to justify a careful explanation, for which 
purpose the above illustration, figure 11, is taken from 
Major Dwyer's book. 

The point, d, shows the position of the bit in the 
mouth ; e, is what is known as the " chin-groove," which 
is easily seen on any horse. The head-stall should in all 
cases be of such a length as to allow the bit, d, to lie ex- 
actly opposite the chin-groove. This is the only place 
where it will not do more harm than good, unless the 
horse is remarkably well broken ; /, is the point where 
the rein is attached, at the end of the lower arm of the 



BITS A^D BITTIKG. 37 

lever; a, l, c, represent the ends of the upper arms 
of the lever, showing what would be their action if 
they were of different lengths. These are the points 
where the curb-chain is attached to the bit. The rule 
which has been established by experience is, that this 
upper arm of the lever should be exactly as long as the 
perpendicular distance from d to e. This allows the 
chain, h, e, to lie easy and naturally in the chin-groove 
without pinching, when the rein is held lightly, yet to 
exercise a strong leverage when the reins are drawn. For 
instance, when the point, /, is drawn back to the point, 
li, it will not be able to move much farther, and a strong 
pressure will be brought to bear on the mouth. If the 
upper arm of the lever were twice as long as the distance 
from d to e, reaching to a, the chain a e, if hanging in 
the chin-groove, would have very little effect, except to 
pinch and torture the horse, producing the most pain 
upon the jawbone, just above the chin-groove, causing 
the horse to throw up his head to escape it. If, on the 
other hand, the upper arm of the lever were made only 
half as long as the distance from d to e, reaching to c, 
the chain would have very little effect, unless it were 
drawn so tight as to be uncomfortable even with a loose 
rein ; so tight, indeed, that it would soon chafe the chin- 
groove and make that so painful, that at the least touch 
of the rein the principal effect would be produced there 
rather than in the mouth, and the horse would again be 
caused to throw up his head. 

If the upper arm of the lever is of the proper length, 
reaching to b, when the lower end of the lever is drawn 
back to h, the upper end will be advanced to g, and the 



38 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

chain will draw on the line g to e, drawing, almost exactly 5 
at right angles to the jawbone at the chin-grooye, bring- 
ing the chain flat against it, creating the least possible 
amount of pain there, and affording a firm fulcrum, from 
which force may be directly applied to the bars at the 
mouth. 

The length of the lower levers need not be made so 
exactly according to rule. The longer they are, the more 
effect will be produced with a given amount of force ap- 
plied to the reins. Perhaps a safe rule would be to make 
them twice as long as the upper arms of the levers. This 
is enough for the control of the worst cases, and more 
than this, as is usual, increases the difficulty of light 
handling. The construction of that part of the bit which 
lies in the horse's mouth, connecting the two side levers, 
is important. Its length should be just such as to allow 
the levers, which should be turned out a little at the top 
to make room for the leathers, to play freely over the 
sides of the face without chafing. The bit should not 
be too long, nor should the upper ends of the levers be 
too much turned out lest the chain be straightened out, 
and caused to rest only against the bones of the jaw ; 
whereas it ought to follow closely around, touching the 
skin for at least three inches of its course. Curb-chains 
are made flat, so that when twisted into shape, they lie 
almost as smooth as a band of leather against the chin. 
The larger they are, and the larger the wire of which 
they are made, the easier and better they will be. They 
are attached by spring-hooks to the eyes of the upper 
ends of the levers. The mouth-piece of the bit should 
also be of generous size in those parts that lie against the 



BITS AND BITTING. 



39 



bars, being much less painful than if small. That part 
of the bit lying between the bars should be made 
of thinner iron and a little elevated, forming what is 
called the port or tongue-groove, preventing the horse 
from taking the pressure on his tongue, as he might do 
if the bit were straight, and thus becoming heavy or dull 
in the hand. 

The lower ends of the levers or "branches" may be 
either straight or curved. If straight, they should have 




BIT. 



Fig. 12.— "baucher 
eyes a little above the points where the reins are attached, 
to carry what is called the lip-strap ; a small leather that 
passes through a loose string in the curb-chain, and is 



40 HIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

buckled to the lever on each side. The object of this 
strap is to prevent the horse from taking the branch of 
the bit in his teeth and destroying the effect of the curb; 
a trick that most horses soon learn, and which they 
know how to take advantage of. Figure 12 represents 
what is called the "Baucher" bit, and is copied from 
one that the writer has had in use for many years. 

To avoid the complication and cost of the lip-strap, 




Fig. 13. — " MCCLELLAN " BIT. 

the curbed branch, or lower lever, is adopted for army 
use ; and there is no reason why it is not equally suitable 
for the use of civilians. It brings the iron in such a posi- 
tion that the horse cannot possibly get hold of it. This 
bit is shown in figure 13, the " McClellan " bit. 



BITS AND BITTING. 41 

The foregoing details will seem to those who are not 
familiar with the niceties of riding, to be needlessly 
minute and particular. Many a man will say that any 
bit is good enough for him ; just give him a good strong 
pair of reins to hang on by ( !) The proper reply to this 
is, that this is not written so much for him, though he 
needs its information more than any one else, if he only 
knew it, but for those who really care to become good 
horsemen. No one can ride with pleasure on a horse that 
has a bee incessantly trying to sting him undsr the chin. 
His fear of the bee introduces a disturbing element that 
counteracts all our efforts to make him attend steadily to 
his duty ; and an ill-fitting, badly placed bit causes hardly 
less disturbance. 

There are many points to be attended to in the proper 
equipment of a saddle-horse, nearly all of them points of 
minor detail, yet they are important, too ; for unless the 
rider's weight is properly placed, and unless he has the 
proper means for controlling and guiding his horse, there 
can be no comfort, or gracefulness, or pleasure for the 
man. There must also be a loss of endurance and smooth- 
ness of working for the animal ; and as it costs no more, 
save in attention, to have things right than to have them 
wrong, there need be no excuse for failure in essential 
points. 



CHAPTER IV. 
THE MOUNT, KEINS, ETC. 

We have now given our learner a preliminary shaking 
into a smooth and secure seat by mounting him on a 
horse whose management is intrusted to a friend, have 
taught him the use of the stirrups, and have shown him 
what sort of saddle and bridle he needs for his outfit. 
He is now ready to begin to learn to be a horseman, and 
he may next be taught to mount properly. 

He should first learn, if young enough for such 
efforts, to vault into the saddle. We now and then hear 
of Princes, and the like, who lay one hand on the pom- 
mel and "gracefully vault into the saddle," but we do 
not see the feat performed except by skillful acrobats, and 
it is not very gracefully performed even by them. The 
following method, however, demands but little skill or 
strength, and, while always a good way to mount, is 
sometimes the only way it is practicable to mount a 
restive horse. 

1, Stand facing the horse's left shoulder ; 2, adjust 
the reins in the left hand, and take a lock of the mane 
in it ; 3, lay the right hand on the pommel of the saddle, 
with the fingers inside and the thumb outside of it ; 4, 
spring upward and throw the whole weight on the hands, 
with the crotch at the hight of the saddle, figure 14 ; 5, 
(42) 



THE MOUNT, KEINS, ETC. 



43 



raise the right leg slowly, well over the horse's croup, 
without bending the knee, and drop lightly into the 
saddle — during this movement most of the weight is 
borne by the right arm ; G, withdraw the hands from the 
neck and pommel, and put the feet into the stirrups. 
These movements should be practised until it becomes 
easy to make them moderately. It looks very awkward 
to see a man "scramble" into his seat by hooking his 




Fig. 14.— LEARNING TO MOUNT. 

right leg over the saddle and tugging himself over by his 
hands. As soon as your horse is accustomed to the 
manoeuvre, and will stand quietly, practice the two move- 
ments, 4 and 5, separately ; first learn to spring from 
the ground to the position described, and to drop easily 
down again without effort, and without kicking, and 
learn to handle the weight, when up, by raising the body 
until the knees are on a level with the hands, and set- 
tling back again. This movement depends very much 



44 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

on the ability to handle the weight of the person with 
the arms, and will need a little practice, which may as 
well be taken on a wooden horse or a bar, fastened five 
feet from the ground, a little higher after this has be- 
come easy. In short, make it easy to get into this ele- 
vated position, and to feel unrestrained while in it. 
Next, learn to get the control of your right leg, so that 
it becomes natural and easy to throw it over the horse's 
croup with a bold swing, not poking it over knee fore- 
most, and to carry it so high that there is no danger of 
touching his hips with the toe, nor of scraping his flank 
with the spur, as the foot descends. Keep up the alter- 
nate motions of throwing the leg over the saddle, and of 
returning again to the erect position, until you can 
arrest the movement at any point, and have such perfect 
command of the weight that you can be sure of getting 
lightly into the saddle under all circumstances. This 
knack, once acquired, will never be lost, and you may be 
sure of mounting any horse, except a bad rearer, on 
whose neck and saddle you can lay your hands ; that 
much accomplished, you are sure of him, and you can 
safely dismount by reversing the movements, in spits of 
his efforts to give you a fall. 

While this vaulting is a very valuable knack to possess, 
the ordinary steady, sober citizen whom we are address- 
ing, will usually wish to mount with the stirrup. It is 
curious to see what different ways different people adopt 
to do so simple a thing. Some practice the old military 
system : standing at the side of the horse's neck, face to 
the rear, with the left hand holding the rems and a lock 
of the mane, they hold the stirrup with the right hand, 



THE MOUNT, KEINS, ETC. 



45 



figure 15, put the left toe into it, give two hops, which 
slews them round until they face the horse and catch the 
cantle, or back part of the saddle with the right hand, 
then rise and get their seat. The first position of this 
manner of mounting exposes the rear of the rider to a 
bite from the horse, which, the hand being engaged in 
the mane, he is powerless to prevent. A beginner 




Fig. 15.— OLD MILITARY MOUNT. 

usually takes hold of both ends of the saddle, finally 
manages to get his toe into the dangling stirrup, and 
then struggles with more or less difficulty into the 
saddle, "where, for a moment, he has no control of the 
horse, who, if he is at all spirited, commences the exer- 
cises by a very confusing start. 

The correct manner of mounting with the aid of the 
stirrup is, in our opinion, the following : 1, Stand op- 
posite the cantle of the saddle, face to the front, with 
the right hand, holding the rein short enough to feel the 
horse's mouth, far over the right side of the cantle ; 2, 



46 



RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 



take the lower part of the stirrup-leather in the left 
hand, and steady it while introducing the left foot, figure 
16; 3, give a spring, upward and forward, throwing the 
weight as evenly as possible on the left foot and on the 
right hand, so as not to turn the saddle, grasping the 
lower part of the mane with the left hand in rising, and 
standing erect in the stirrup, with the feet touching each 
other ; 4, throw the right leg, without bending the 




Fig. 16. — PROPER WAY TO MOUNT WITH STIRRUP. 

knee, well over the horse's croup, and, raising the right 
hand at the same time, drop lightly into the saddle ; 
5, as the right hand is raised from the can tie, let go of 
the mane, and receive the reins between the fingers of 
the left hand, letting go with the right as soon as they 
are properly adjusted. 

After the left hand has seized the mane the horse cannot 
prevent the rider reaching his seat ; and the rider firmly 
establishes himself before he withdraws either hand. 

There is no difficulty, for one who is not infirm, to 



1^ THE SADDLE. 47 

mount in this way, and the only objection that can be made 
to it, is that by a " cow-hick" the man standing at the 
girth may receive an injury. But this is a rare vice, and 
a horse that kicks is dangerous to approach, for mount- 
ing or for any other purpose ; so that it is hardly worth 
while to abandon a system that is otherwise excellent, 
because it does not apply to a very small class of vicious 
brutes, that should not be used for saddle under any cir- 
cumstances. 

On the other hand, nearly every horse will paw with a 
fore-foot, if at all impatient, and he who stands in front 
of the shoulder of a horse is not secure from injury. 
Among the other disadvantages of the generally adopted 
method, mention may be made of the following : 

1. The rider, standing in front of the shoulder of the 
horse, may be upset by a forward movement ; and this 
danger is greatly increased after the foot is put into the 
stirrup. 

2. The left hand, entangled and held in the hairs of 
the mane, cannot use the reins. 

3. The drag upon the cantle of the saddle must, in all 
cases, disturb its position, and may cause it to torn. 

4. The right arm fastened to the cantle of the saddle 
prevents the right leg passing over the back of the horse.. 

5. To pass the right leg over the horse, the right arm 
must be removed ; thus taking away the principal brace 
ot the body at the most critical time, and allowing the 
body, in case of any movement, to fall backwards towards 
the shoulder of the horse. 

6. The absence of a reason for any one motion in the 
method. 



48 BIDING AID TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

Upon the seat depends the security of the rider, not 
only as regards his remaining upon the horse, but in per- 
mitting him to use that lightness and delicacy of touch 
that is required to manage and control the horse. It 
has often been said that this desired lightness of touch is 
a rare gift, wholly denied to strong men. But if a man 
has a seat that is independent of any support from the 
reins, he may acquire a light touch upon the mouth of 
the horse as readily as he may make a fine stroke with a 
pen. 

Each man has a seat peculiar to himself, and that will 
be his seat for all purposes, whether in the field, upon the 
road, or in the school. 

It will be obtained in the following manner : — 

After having reached the saddle, disengage the left foot 
from the stirrup. Then bearing the weight of the body 
upon the buttocks, make the inner sides of the thigh, 
from the knee up, grasp the saddle. The body must be 
held erect, the shoulders thrown back, and the chin 
drawn in ; and the elbows should be carried close to the 
sides. 

The legs, from the knee down, should hang without 
stiffness, and the feet will, without effort, find their 
proper place, parallel with the body of the horse. 

The length of stirrup-leather will be found when the 
tread of the iron strikes the heel of the boot immediately 
above the junction of the sole. The toes will be raised 
and inserted in the stirrups as far as the balls of the feet. 

The stability of the seat is dependent upon the weight 
of the body, the balance, and the grasp of the thighs. 
The erect seat upon the breech, that we have described, 



IN" THE SADDLE. 49 

permits the body to make, most readily, those motions 
that arc necessary for preserving the perpendicular appli- 
cation of the weight, and for keeping the balance. The 
strongest hold upon the saddle possible is with the inside 
of the thighs. 

There should be no pressure upon the stirrups ; for 
this would relieve the weight, disturb the balance, and 
force the grip of the thighs. It is no argument in favor 
of riding upon the stirrups that the horsemen of the East 
carry their knees up to the pommel of the saddle, for the 
Mexicans, who are better riders, extend the leg to its full 
length. It is in spite of bad systems that these peoples 
who live on horseback become skillful in the management 
of their steeds. Because a circus performer standing 
upon one leg keeps his horse under circumstances that 
would prevent a poor rider from keeping in his saddle, it is 
no argument that the proper way to ride is upon one leg. 

The seat having been found and the stirrups having 
been adjusted, no changes should be made for the differ- 
ent circumstances under which the rider will be called 
upon to exercise his skill. It is bad art when the prin- 
ciples are not suited to every emergency ; and the seat 
that has been found to be that in which the center of 
gravity can best be preserved in the high airs of the 
manege, where the horse makes the most violent move- 
ments of the fore-hand and of the croup, should answer 
all requirements. 

The beginner will use the reins of the snaffle only. He 
will take a rein in the grasp of each hand, the loose end 
passing under, and held by the thumb, at a length that 
will give him command of the mouth of the horse. 



50 BIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

In teaching the horse the changes of direction, as is 
described in the chapter upon "Hands and Legs," one 
hand will hold the curb, the reins divided by the little 
finger and grasped by the thumb ; while the snaffle-reins 
will be held above those of the curb, divided by the 
breadth of the other hand. 

There are various ways prescribed for holding the 
reins in riding the trained horses, but we prefer the 
following method : — 

In the left hand : the curb-reins divided by the little 
finger ; the snaffle-reins divided by the middle finger ; 
the ends of both sets carried up through the hand and 
secured by the thumb, which should be uppermost and 
pointed to the ears of the horse. By bending the wrist 
to the right so that the knuckles come uppermost, the 
head of the horse will be carried to the right and the 
change made in that direction. By bending the wrist to 
the left, so that the finger-nails come uppermost, the 
horse will be turned to the left. There should never be 
tension on the two bits at the same time. The horse 
should be ridden upon the curb ; the snaffle will be used 
to fix the hight of his head, and, occasionally to take the 
place of the curb to freshen the mouth. 

The right hand will be carried upon the loose ends of 
the reins to assist the left. 



CHAPTER V. 
HORSE GYMNASTICS. 

The following exercises will be found of great service 
in giving strength to the seat, in aiding the balance, in 
teaching the habit of regaining a lost position without 
disturbing the tension of the reins, and in giving ease 
and grace to all the motions of the rider. 

When so indicated, these movements will be made from 
the position prescribed for "the seat." 

1. In the seat, with the arm hanging motionless by 
his side, let the pupil take away one thigh from contact 
with the saddle and bring it back into its place, with the 
point of the knee turned in as much as possible, the 
movement being made by a rotation of the hip-joint. 
This should then be done with the other leg. 

2. From the seat, and the rest of the body is quiet, 
raise both knees to meet above the pommel of the saddle, 
and bring them back to the saddle, making the inner 
sides of the thighs take as many points of contact as 
possible. 

3. In the seat, keeping the thighs close to the saddle, 
let the pupil lean back until his shoulders touch the rump 
of the horse ; then let him quietly recover his erect 
position. 

4. In the seat, keeping the buttocks in the saddle and 
the thighs in place, let the pupil lean forward and slightly 

(51) 



52 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

to one side until one of his shoulders touches the crest 
of the horse. Then let him slowly recover his position. 

5. In the seat, let the body sway forward, to one side, 
to the rear, to the other side, and then into position ; 
then reverse the movement. 

G. Lose the seat to the right, and without aid from 
the hands bring the body back into the saddle by a quick 
turn of the buttocks ; then make the movements to the 
other side. This should be practised at the walk, at the 
trot, and at the gallop. 

For the Balance. — 1. In the seat, the arms hanging 
without stiffness, carry the right leg over the pommel to 
the left side ; then carry both legs over to the right ; then 
come back to the seat by carrying the left leg to its place. 

2. In the seat, carry the right leg over the pommel to 
the left side ; then work the body upon the buttocks as a 
pivot until the face is to the rear. Carry the left leg over, 
then the right leg, and work the body upon the buttocks 
as a pivot until the face is to the front. Kesume the 
seat by carrying the left leg over the pommel to its place ; 
then reverse the movement. 

For the Legs and Feet. — 1. In the seat, keeping 
the knees fixed, bring the lower part of first the one leg 
and then the other, as high up on the side of the horse 
as possible, without either touching the horse or moving 
the knee. This movement should be done at the walk, 
at the trot, and at the gallop, so that the rider may have 
perfect control cf the action of the legs in directing the 
movements of the croup. 

2. In the seat, the legs hanging without stiffness and 
the rest of the body quiet, rotate, first the one foot and 



HO*tSE GYMNASTICS. 53 

tlien the other, from the ankle joint, with an outward 
and then an inward movement. The improvement in 
this exercise may be measured by the facility with which 
the pupil can gain his stirrups by the action of the feet 
only. 

To Mount. — Standing at the shoulder of the horse, 
facing the near side, seize a lock of the mane close to the 
crest, the hairs passing down through the hand, the 
thumb uppermost. 

With the right hand grasp the pommel of the saddle, 
the fingers under the tree, the thumb extended towards 
the ground. 

Leave the ground with a spring and take the weight 
of the body upon the arms until the fork is level with the 
withers of the horse, resting a moment m this position. 

Carry the right leg over, and sink quietly into the 
saddle. 

Release the holds upon the mane and the pommel. 

To those who have never tried it, this movement ap- 
pears to be difficult. It is, in fact, very easy, and should 
be accomplished after a few trials by any one who is active 
enough to undertake riding. It should be performed at 
the walk, at the trot, and at the gallop. At the gallop 
care must be taken not to carry the body over too much 
in putting the right leg across the horse, nor need the 
body be carried so high as when the horse is at rest, nor 
is the momentary stop to be observed. 

To Dismount. — Seize the mane and pommel as m 
mounting. Bear the weight upon the straightened arms 
as the right leg is brought over to the left side. Hold 
the body for a moment perpendicularly to the side of the 



54 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

horse, the whole weight being supported by the two arms. 
Drop gently to the ground at the shoulder of the horse. 
This may be done at the gallop, by avoiding the momen- 
tary rest and coming down prepared to take a few steps 
with the horse, after which the holds upon the mane and 
pommel should be released. 

General Exercises. — 1. From the seat, grasping 
each side of the fore-part of the saddle, bear the weight 
of the body upon the extended arms, turning the balanced 
body first one way and then the other. 

2. From the seat, grasping each side of the fore-part 
of the saddle, throw the body forward upon the slightly 
bent arms towards the neck of the horse ; and throwing 
up the legs in rear, cross them, and come into the saddle 
faced to the rear. 

3. From this position, place the palms of the hands 
upon the rump of the horse, and performing a move- 
ment similar to the above, come into the saddle faced to 
the front. 




CHAPTER VI. 
HANDS AND LEGS. 

The horse is propelled by the hind- quarters, and the 
movements are directed by the forehand. The legs of 
the rider act upon the croup, and by their pressure bring 
forward those forces ; the hand restrains the forces of the 
forehand, and collects and guides all. "When the forces 
of the croup are brought forward to such a point that 
they meet and balance the forces of the forehand, the 
horse is in equilibrium, and no movement can be gener- 
ated until one or other of the forces predominate. 

As the legs act upon the forces of the croup, and as 
the hand governs the forces of the forehand, it will be 
seen that this union and balance of the forces puts the 
immediate and distinct control of the mass within the 
power of the rider. 

The forward movement of the horse will be measured 
by the effect of the forces of the croup to predominate, 
and the corresponding yielding of the forces of the fore- 
hand. 

But if the force opposite the augmented force does not 
yield, then that unyielding part is the more firmly fixed 
to the ground, as by an incumbent weight, and if action 
takes place it must either be in rearing or in kicking. 

If the forces of the croup predominate., and the fore- 
(55) 



56 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

hand does not yield to correspond, then the action of 
this latter part is hampered. But if, as the forces of the 
croup seek to advance the point of union, an advance is 
made by the fore-quarters, the equilibrium may still be 
approximately obtained. That is, if this equilibrium is 
to be maintained, the forward movement of the forehand 
will be permitted as the forces of the croup are brought 
forward. 

If the spead is to be increased, the legs will act upon 
the croup, and the hand will give freedom to the fore- 
hand. If it is desired to moderate the speed, the forces 
of the forehand will be brought back ; and when they 
are brought back to a point where they balance the forces 
of the croup, a halt is brought about. If the forces of 
the forehand are brought back beyond this point of bal- 
ance, the mass must move back, or undue weight must 
fall upon and fix the croup. 

It is the object of the rider to maintain the approxi- 
mate equilibrium in all the movements of the horse. 
But, to obtain the control of these forces, all the resist- 
ances, active or by the will of the horse, and passive or 
by the weight of the horse, must be overcome. 

That is, the horse must be suppled in the forehand 
and in the croup, must obey the legs, and be amenable 
to the bit. The method of supplying the croup and of 
teaching obedience to the pressure of the legs, will be 
treated at length in the chapter upon " The Early Edu- 
cation of the Horse." We shall now turn our attention 
to the forehand and to its sense of feeling, the mouth. 

The horse must first be taught that he can not pass 
beyond the limit put by the hand without bringing pain 



HAKDS AKD LEGS. 57 

upon himself, but that so long as he is obedient to the 
bit he finds comfort. To this end the hand will firmly 
resist any attempts of the horse to go beyond the limit 
fixed, but it will make a concession whenever he yields 
his opposition. The next step will be to make him relax 
his jaw and bring his head into position, so that there 
will be no opposition to the bit. To accomplish this 
the rider will be mounted and the horse will be kept 
upon his ground. Taking the curb-reins in the left 
hand, the rider will make gentle vibrations of the right 
rein with the right hand until the horse gives the jaw. 
A word of encouragement will be given, and the tension 
will be released. Then, changing the curb-reins into 
the right hand, the same thing will be done with the left 
rein by the left hand. After the horse will yield to 
either side, he will be induced to give up the opposition 
of the jaw, and bring the head into position by the same 
vibrating motions of the two reins at equal length. If 
the horse hangs upon the bit, he will be induced to bring 
up his head and carry his own weight by a few pulls 
upon the snaffle-bit, from below upwards. But there is 
never to be a steady tension upon the bit ; the horse is 
to be kept in hand by a series of slight touches, that are 
to be relaxed the moment the resistance ends. When 
there is a steady pull, no matter how light it may be, the 
equilibrium is destroyed. 

By a pressure of the legs the horse will be made to 
bring his hind-legs in under him, a forward movement 
being prevented, and lightness in front being secured, by 
the means above recited. When these forces from the 
forehand and from the croup are gathered and balanced, 



58 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

the horse is in equilibrium, and is ready for any move- 
ment without further preparation. 

After these lessons have been repeated at the halt, 
until he desists from opposition, he will be put into the 
walk, the trot, and the gallop, the approximate equilib- 
rium being at all times demanded. If he attempts to 
go beyond the bit he must be restrained, and lightness 
must be kept up by the gentle, intermittent tensions of 
the curbs. If he hangs back, the heels must keep the 
forces of the croup up to the point that is required by 
the desired speed. 

It is through ignoring the fact that a horse's forehand 
may be lightened by the play of the bit, that induces 
some writers upon riding to adopt crude and improper 
means for producing the different movements depending 
upon that condition. A badly-trained horse will bear 
upon the bit of the heavy hand, and instead of becoming 
light m the front, at its pressure upon the mouth, the 
forehand will be the heavier for this opposition. It is 
for such horses and such riders that some writers upon 
the art advocate that the head should be pulled to the 
left to lighten the right shoulder, when the rider wishes 
his horse to lead in the gallop with the right side. How 
it is agreed on all hands that a horse's head should be 
turned in the direction that he goes. In the above in- 
stance the head of the horse is turned to the left, and he 
is to lead off with the right side. Then if his head is 
carried to the right, to change direction to that side, the 
horse should, if he answers to his signals, change his leg 
and be false in his gallop. But when the heavy-handed 
rider has on some occasion made his horse rear, he finds 



HANDS AND LEGS. 59 

that when the horse is forced to yield to the hand he 
becomes light in front, and the theory we support is in 
that case proved. 

We have seen that, by overcoming the resistances of 
the forehand, we can lighten that part without violence, 
and when we come to the lesson upon the gallop the 
same principles will be applied to make the horse lead 
with either leg. For if the forehand is made light by 
the proper action of the bit, that side will be made the 
lighter upon which the action is the more strongly de- 
fined, so that to make him lead oif with the right leg we 
shall raise that side with the right rein, and the horse 
will move off with his head in the proper position. 

To Change Dibection. — We will suppose that the 
horse has so far progressed in his education that he may 
be put into the walk, and yet be so obedient to the bit 
that he retains the equilibrium as far as is possible. 
Keeping him at a steady walk, the rider will accustom 
him to bear the pressure of the legs by applying them, 
first one and then the other, as the horse raises the 
opposite fore-leg. This will serve to improve the action 
of the gait, as well as to bring him to bear the pressure 
of the legs without flinching. When he will answer the 
pressure of the legs and bare heels by bringing forward 
the forces of the croup, and will measure his speed by 
the freedom given him by the hand, without forcing 
himself upon it, he will be accustomed to the spur until 
he bears the scratch of the rowel with the same compla- 
cency that he bore the attacks of the heels. This can 
be brought about without trouble by quieting the horse 
by voice and hand after each application of the aid, 



60 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

which at first should be very light, to gradually increase 
in force. The spur should never be given with a shock, 
but the foot should be carried back and the rowel quietly 
but quickly applied by lowering the toe. After the 
horse finds that the spur comes soon after the pressure 
of the leg, he will rarely require the application of the 
severer form of the aid, and the whole education of the 
horse will tend to make him quick and lively in his 
motions, and obedient to the slightest expression of his 
master's will. 

The horse, in hand and gathered, will be put into the 
walk, and the rider will practice the change of direction 
to the right. Taking the curb-reins in the left hand, 
he will hold the snaffle reins divided by the width of his 
right hand. Upon arriving at the point where a new 
direction is to be taken, the rider will turn the head of 
the horse by the direct application of the right snaffle- 
rein, and when the horse turns into the new path the 
left hand will be carried to the right, so that the left 
curb-rein will press against the left side of the neck. The 
legs of the rider will give such aid in bringing up the 
croup in the new direction as the circumstances may 
require. 

After the horse will turn readily to the demand of the 
snaffle-bit, he will be made to take the new direction 
with the unaided use of the curb, the left hand being 
carried to the right so that the outside rein presses upon 
the neck, and bends his head in the direction he is to move. 

Carrying the curb-reins in the right hand, and those of 
the snaffle in the left, the change of direction to the left 
will be made in a similar manner. 



HANDS AND LEGS. 61 

The horse will be accustomed to be brought to a stop 
from the walk by the rider raising the hand and leaning 
back in the seat, and gently pressing with the legs to 
bring under the forces of the croup. 

The horse standing, and in equilibrium, the rider will 
induce him to bend his head and neck, first to one side 
and then to the other, by the vibratory motion of the 
direct curb-rein. Both legs will be kept close to the 
sides of the horse to keep him steady, the opposite leg 
being rather closer to overcome resistance and to prevent 
a movement of the croup against it. The horse will not 
be permitted to carry back his head, at will, from the 
bent posture, but the rider will bring it back into posi- 
tion by the rein opposed to that by which the movement 
was begun. 

It only remains, for the present, that the horse should 
be taught to bend the croup, at the application of the 
heel, sufficiently to put him into position for the gallop. 
He will first be made to take a step with the hind legs to 
the right by the application of the left leg, the right rein 
playing with the mouth to remove the opposition of the 
right shoulder. By inverse means the croup will be 
moved a step to the left. In all movements of the croup 
the legs should be held close to the horse, so that the 
action produced by the one may be readily checked by 
the other. 



CHAPTER VII. 
THE WALK, TROT, GALLOP, ETC. 

It is not necessary, nor is it desirable, that the tight 
grip of the thighs should be maintained while at the 
walk. The gait is so smooth that the weight and the 
balance will serve to keep the rider in his seat, and the 
knees being in position, the thighs may instantaneously 
take their hold in case of a sudden start of the horse. 
But this ease should never degenerate into negligence, 
and as a horse is more apt to stumble at a walk than at 
a quicker gait, the rider must never permit his attention 
to be taken from his horse. The horse should be kept 
constantly in hand, particularly after any great exertion 
that has called upon his strength, for he is much less 
able to recover from a mistake when he is tired, and he 
feels the fatigue less when he is kept roused. In going 
downhill, he must have liberty enough to permit his 
body conforming to the slope of ground, so that he may 
extend his step safely. 

For the trot, the horse must be kept light, between 
the application of the hand and legs. The speed will be 
restrained by the first, or augmented by the latter, at the 
will of the rider, whose efforts should be so directed as 
to give a regularly-cadenced gait of equal action, in the 
highest equilibrium possible. The hight and brilliancy 
of movement in the trot may be governed by the applica- 
(62) 



THE WALK, TROT, GALLOP, ETC. 63 

tion of first the one and then the other spur, as the 
opposite fore-leg of the horse is raised to step off. In 
this way, it may be developed into the Spanish trot of 
the manege. 

In the trot, the rider should sit erect, with the shoul- 
ders thrown back, and the thighs close to the saddle. If 
the rider rises to the trot, the constant shifting of the 
weight will greatly interfere with the equilibrium of the 
mass, but it is not necessary that the horse should get 
out of hand or be permitted to bear upon the bit. The 
rider should take no support from the bit, but should 
hold his hand so that it will be independent of the mo- 
tion he allows his body to make. To rise in the trot, the 
rider will make use of the knees to secure the seat and 
allow his body, slightly sustained by the stirrups, to be 
thrown up by the motion of the horse, letting his weight 
sink back into the saddle in time to take the next impe- 
tus of the gait. The shoulders should be held easy, but 
in rest ; and the legs should hang straight down from 
the knee, and musu not be permitted to work along the 
sides of the horse. 

In the gallop, which is a succession of leaps, the rider 
will lean slightly back, so that the buttocks will be car- 
ried well under him, and hold the body without stiffness. 
The positions of the body must, however, always conform 
to the action of the horse, and to the direction in which 
he goes ; and practice must show what, and how great, 
these changes should be. In the gallop, the horse must 
be true, to insure his balance and safe-footing. To be 
true in the gallop, the fore and corresponding hind-leg 
will be in the lead of that side to which the horse is 



64 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

turning or moving. For instance, if it is the intention 
to turn or to move the horse at a gallop to the right, he 
must have the head and croup bent to the right, and 
must take the long strides of the gait with the fore and 
hind-leg of that side. This will preserve his center of 
gravity, and in case of a mistake he has his legs in under 
him to help him to a recovery. If the horse is galloping 
in a straight line, it makes no difference with which of 
his fore-legs he takes the long stride or lead, provided 
the hind-leg of that side corresponds. If a horse takes 
the long strides with the right fore-leg and the left hind- 
leg he is disunited, and has not got his powers well in 
control. If, in turning to the left, he is leading with 
the right legs, he can with difficulty retain the center of 
gravity, and is apt to fall at the slightest blunder. AYe 
say that a horse leads on that side when he makes the 
long strides with the legs of one or other side. But the 
fact is, the fore-leg of the other side leaves the ground 
before the fore-leg which makes the long stride does, and 
the same thing is true of the hind-legs. But the legs on 
the side to which he has been bent pass the others in 
their longer stride, and the horse is said to lead with 
them. 

To put the horse into the gallop, leading with the off- 
leg, let the rider bring him into equilibrium, then light- 
ening the forehand, and particularly the right shoulder, 
with a play of the direct rein, let him press in the left 
heel. In consequence of these movement's on his part, 
the horse will take the gallop with the legs on the right 
side making the larger strides ; for the right shoulder is 
free to extend itself in answer to the propulsion of the 



THE WALK, TROT, GALLOP, ETC. 65 

forces from the croup, and the hind-quarters being bent 
around to the right, the hind-leg on that side must fol- 
low with a similar step. The croup of the horse, bend- 
ing to the right at the application of the opposite spur, 
will make the longer stride with the hind-leg that is so 
advanced, and such a movement is required to preserve 
the center of gravity under the condition. 

The horse having been put into the gallop, he will be 
aligned upon the path he follows by means of the hand 
and legs.* The trained horse, under the skilled rider, 
will take the gallop upon the right or upon the left leg 
without bending perceptibly ; for so perfect will be the 
equilibrium and the control, that the measured use of 
the aids will inaugurate a movement that will not require 
correction. 

For Leaping. — The pupil should first practice the 
standing leap, and upon a well- trained horse. The horse 
standing at the bar will be induced to rise by transferring 
the forces of the forehand back, and by the pressure of 
the legs will be made to spring forwards. 

As the horse rises, the rider will bend slightly forward, 
giving the horse the reins. When the horse leaves the 
ground, the rider should lean back, so that he may pre- 
serve his center of gravity, and by bringing his buttocks 
well in under him, receive the shock in the strongest pos- 
sible seat. As the hind-legs of the horse reach the 
ground, the rider will resume his erect position. Any 
bearing upon the stirrups will disturb the seat, and may 
cause the rider to fall. There must be no attempt on 
the part of the rider to lift the horse, and when the 
hand has played its part of conveying back the forces of 



66 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

the fore- quarters, it must ease the tension of the reins 
until the fore-feet of the horse touch the ground, when 
he will feel the mouth to give the horse such support as 
he may need to recover the equilibrium. 

In taking the flying leap, the seat will be nearly the 
same as that for the gallop ; the rider will not lean for- 
ward as in the standing leap, for the action of the horse 
will not require it, and if he swerves or refuses, the rider 
should be sitting well back to avoid a fall. As the horse 
makes the exertion for the jump, the rider will bring his 
breech well under, lean back as far as the effort the horse 
is about to make shall demand, and resume the position 
for the gallop when the horse alights, at the same mo- 
ment collecting him for the same speed with which he 
approached the leap, but taking care not to check him 
or harass his movements. 

When the horse takes the flying leap, he must have 
the fullest liberty of his head ; the bit being used only to 
direct him to the obstacle, and its tension released before 
the horse rises in the leap. The legs will be carried in 
close to the sides of the horse to support him, but be 
neither spurred nor whipped at the jump, as it distracts 
his attention at a critical moment. If he requires it, the 
horse should be roused before he comes upon the ground 
where he is to decide upon his place for taking off, and 
from that time he should be left to himself until he re- 
ceives the support of the bridle as his fore-feet touch 
the ground. The trick of throwing up one arm, or of 
giving a cry of encouragement to the horse as he rises, 
may work mischief by causing him to swerve, but it is 
then too late to offer him aid in gathering for the leap. 



THE WALK, TROT, GALLOP, ETC. 



67 



The horse should not be ridden to a high leap at a speed 
that extends him too much. He should not be so flur- 
ried as he approaches a wide leap that he can not use his 
instincts for safety. If a horse jumps in a slovenly man- 
ner, he should be remanded to the school. 




CHAPTEE VIII. 

VICES, TRICKS, AND FAULTS. 

The severity with which a horse has been punished for 
a fault is, usually, the measure of the violence with which 
he will repeat it. It is this violence that makes the horse 
so dangerous in his rebellion, for until he loses his reason 
he will take care not to injure himself, and so in a mea- 
sure protects his rider. Few young horses are dangerous 
in their resistances until they have met with cruel treat- 
ment. It is seldom that a colt in breaking will bolt with 
his rider ; it is usually the old offender who is guilty of 
this most dangerous of vices. Although nearly every 
young horse will rear at the pressure of the bit, he will 
seldom rise to a dangerous hight, and he soon ceases to 
offend in that way. A horse must be corrected and put 
right, but it is never necessary to resort to severe punish- 
ments. Fortunately the horse is an animal of one idea, 
and when he has determined upon his line of opposition 
he is easily circumvented and humbled. If he refuses to 
turn to the right he will be so intent upon opposing the 
right rein that he may be turned around to the left until 
he is confused, when he will very gladly go in any direc- 
tion. If he declines to go forward he is not prepared to 
resist a demand for a backward movement, and he will 
soon tire of that unusual mode and start forward at the 
first hint from his rider. But a horse properly broken 
(68) 



VICES, TRICKS, AND FAULTS. 69 

and trained will not be guilty of such contumacy, and 
will not be apt to show the vices of which we are about 
to speak, but for which the rider must be prepared. 

If a horse bolts, the rider should not fatigue himself by 
taking a steady drag upon the mouth. Leaning back, 
with the breech well under him, and bearing no weight 
in the stirrups, the rider should take a succession of pulls 
upon the bit, one following the other sufficiently near to 
obtain cumulative effect. When the horse appears to 
yield to the bit, advantage should be taken of the 
moment, to prevent his again extending himself, by in- 
creased exertions upon the part of the rider, whose 
power should be reserved as far as possible to seize this 
opportunity. We know of no way to prevent a horse 
bolting ; by keeping his head up with the snaffle-rein the 
rider will have greater command of the horse, but the 
use of severe bits will not deter a confirmed bolter from 
indulging his vicious propensity. 

If a horse rears the reins should be loosened, and if the 
rider require support he should seize the mane, without, 
however, letting the reins drop from his hands. The 
spurs should not be applied while the horse is rising, but 
as he comes down the legs of the rider should be closed 
to induce the horse to go forward. If the horse refuses 
to go forward, the rider will find the side of the mouth 
with which the horse is not prepared to resist, by draw- 
ing the reins from right to left, and holding the rein of 
that side low he will pull the horse around, aiding the 
hand by the application of the spur on that side. If, 
when the horse rears, he sinks upon his hind-quarters, 
the rider should endeavour to leave the horse by seizing 



70 RIDIKG AtfD TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

the mane and throwing himself aside, and although he 
may not be able to clear himself of the horse, he will at 
least avoid coming down under the saddle. 

If a horse is shy at passing an object, he can generally 
be made to proceed by turning his head away, and j^ass- 
ing him along with the leg opposite to the object, as in 
traversing. If he is a young horse, and does not seem to 
have known fear, he will usually face that which has 
caused his alarm if he is allowed to take as much room 
as the way offers. The rider should avoid, as much as 
possible, taking notice of the horse's fright, as any ner- 
vousness on the part of the rider will confirm the horse 
in the opinion that there is danger. If a horse takes 
alarm on the road at things with which he is familiar, it 
is either through defective eye-sight, or because he has 
found out that he can take liberties with his rider. A 
man of discretion will know when a horse should be 
whipped up to an object of which there is a pretence of 
fear, but the horse must never be struck after he has 
passed on. 

We do not like a horse that has low action, for he must 
trip, and he is likely, sooner or later, to come down. A 
horse stumbles when, through weakness, weariness, or 
stiffness from age and work, he is not able to recover 
himself from a trip. He usually bears the evidence of 
his accident on his knees. 

A horse that stumbles from weakness is not fit for 
saddle use. If the rider is unfortunate enough to find 
himself mounted upon a horse that gives indications of 
being insecure upon his feet, he should demand free and 
lively action, with rein and legs. The horse should not 



VICES, TRICKS, AND FAULTS. 71 

be allowed to become indolent, nor be permitted to hang 
upon the bit. On descending a hill the horse must have 
liberty of action, for if he steps too short he is liable to 
come down ; and a horse that is checked has not enough 
freedom for his safety. It is after a long day's work that 
a weary horse may for the first time stumble, and it is a 
mistaken idea of kindness that induces the rider to let a 
horse take his head upon such an occasion. The horse 
misses the encouragement of the rein and the support of 
the leg, and is invited to fall. Besides it is much more 
fatiguing for him to bear his burden, deprived of the 
usual aids, and in drooping spirits. Finally, in case of 
a fall, either of a stumbling horse, or under any other 
circumstances, the rider should hold on to the rem until 
he is assured that his feet are free of the stirrups. 




CHAPTER IX. 
EARLY EDUCATION OF THE HORSE. 

In order that he may never chafe against restraint, the 
horse should never know -perfect freedom. From the hour 
he is foaled he should be accustomed to the sight of man, 
and belief in man's power should increase with his know- 
ledge. He must be treated with kindness ; but indul- 
gence will spoil his temper, and he acquires a contempt 
for the authority that is tardily enforced. 

At six months of age the colt should be broken to fol- 
low with the halter, and be made to submit at any time 
when his resistance cannot have such success as to en- 
courage him in rebellion. At two years of age he should 
be made to bear the saddle without repugnance, and to 
know the effects of the bit. If he is intended for riding 
purposes he should never be put in a bitting-machine, as 
all contrivances of that kind teach him to bear upon the 
hand, a habit that is incompatible with perfect manners. 
But, from the time he is two years old, he should be 
lunged, at intervals that will insure his retaining that 
which is taught him, with the cavesson, or nose-band, 
used for breaking-in horses. 

By the time he is ready to bear the weight of the rider 

he should be perfectly familiar with the stable, and 

should submit to all the manipulations of the groom. 

At three years of age, if he be a well-developed colt, he 

(72) " 



EARLY EDUCATION OF THE HORSE. 73 

may be mounted by some one whom he well knows, and 
induced to go forward a few steps. In all of his previous 
education, and particularly at this juncture, he should 
be treated with firmness but great gentleness, and he 
should be encouraged by hand and yoice whenever his 
conduct deserves approval. 

If he has been treated as thus far advised, he will not 
be likely to show any restiveness on the occasion of his 
being mounted for the first time, and the trainer will, 
perhaps, never experience any trouble with him. It is 
not improbable that upon the third or fourth day that he 
is mounted he will, on being taken beyond his usual 
limits, show some disinclination to yield to the will of 
the rider, and refuse to go in a direction for which he has 
some dislike. No violence should be resorted to in such 
a case, but if he will not answer the bit and the pressure 
of the legs, he may be led by some one who should be at 
hand in these early lessons to assist the trainer. 

The snaffle, alone, should be used at first, and the rider 
should hold his hand high or low, as the horse bears down 
or raises his head. He should be ridden in this bit until 
he readily answers to it, and the rider should teach him, 
as early as possible, to go foward at the pressure of the 
legs. No whip should be carried in the early mounted 
lessons, and in the lunging on the cavesson the whip 
should never be used to cause pain. 

If the colt is naturally heavy in the shoulders he should 
be made to carry himself light by short pulls upon the 
snaffle, from below upwards. The active resistance of 
the mouth should be overcome by gentle vibrations of the 
bit. 
4 



74 BIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

When he will go quietly in the snaffle, and has been 
made familiar with the usual sights and sounds of the 
road, he may be put into the double-reined bridle. The 
snaffle will be used to regulate the hight of the head, and 
to begin the changes of direction : the bit will be used to 
teach the horse to give the jaw and to bring in the head, 
as before described. 

These bittings are never to be abandoned, and they 
must be daily practised, so that the horse will yield to 
the first demand of the bit. 

When the horse is obedient to the bit he should be 
made to collect his forces in equilibrium, and he is 
then prepared for schooling in those higher branches of 
his education that are to make him, what is so highly to 
be desired, a trained horse. 

By firmness and gentleness the horse can, by means of 
the system already explained, be readily made quiet to 
ride. If he becomes shy it will be because his vision is 
defective. A young horse, properly treated, will acquire 
so much confidence in his master that he will face objects 
about which he has grave suspicions. Each time that he 
finds his terror groundless, his fear of strange objects 
will be lessened, and some horses, trained in this way, 
will shy at nothing when under the saddle. 

Pirouettes. — The precision with which the pirouettes 
are made, will determine the grace and facility with which 
the horse will execute all movements. 

Pirouettes on the Forehand. — The horse, saddled 
and bridled, will be taken to some retired spot. The 
riding-school is, of course, the best place for these lessons, 



EARLY EDUCATION OF THE HORSE. 75 

but any smooth ground will answer, where there is 
nothing to distract his attention. 

It is intended that the horse shall carry his croup 
around his forehand, the outside fore-leg acting as the 
pivot in the movement. The trainer will stand at the 
shoulder of the horse, and, if the first movement is to 
be made to the right, on the near side of the horse. 

With his left hand he will take both reins of the curb 
at about four inches from the branch of the bit. He will 
then induce the horse to give his jaw, and to bring his 
head into a perpendicular position, by drawing the reins 
in gentle vibrations towards the chest of the horse, yield- 
ing the hand whenever the horse answers to the pressure, 
and repeating the operation whenever the horse shows a 
disposition to go out of hand. With the whip he will 
then tap the horse on the rump until the hind legs are 
brought well under the body. The horse will then be in 
a position to make a move in any direction without any 
further preparation. 

The horse being thus collected, the trainer will give 
gentle taps of the whip upon his near flank, until the 
animal moves one step to the right, the forehand being 
held stationary by the bit in the left hand, and resistance 
of that part overcome by feeling the right side of the 
mouth. As soon as this one step to the right, by the 
hind-quarters, is taken, the taps of the whip must cease, 
and the horse should be encouraged, so that he may 
know that his effort has met with approval. 

This change of position will throw him out of line, his 
off fore-leg being far in the rear. By a tap of the whip 
upon the off fore-arm he will be brought straight, and 



76 BIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

the trainer should again show his satisfaction by a kind 
word or a touch of the hand. Let these proceedings be 
continued until the horse steps off promptly : but he 
should not, at first, take more than one step at a time, 
and must never be permitted to volunteer a movement. 
After each change of position he is to be put straight, 
and he will be kept collected by the hand and whip. 

The same means, right and left being interchanged, 
will teach him to pass in the opposite direction. 

These lessons should be repeated at intervals, so that 
they are not rendered irksome or fatiguing to the horse, 
until he will complete his circles, either way, without 
taking up the pivot, or outside foot. 

These pirouettes will now be made with the rider in the 
saddle ; and if the work on foot has been faithfully per- 
formed the horse will be well advanced in his education. 

Bringing the horse into equilibrium, the rider will 
play with the right rein of the curb to destroy the resist- 
ances of the shoulder, and with his left leg will make the 
horse carry the croup one step to the right. The right 
leg of the rider will be held close to the side of the horse, 
to limit the movement to one step, to prevent him mov- 
ing backward, and to assist the off fore-leg in taking its 
place in the new position. Taking one step at a time, 
the horse will complete the movement about the near or 
outside fore-leg, which has been the pivot. 

By inverse means, and observing the same care, the re- 
versed pirouette will be made to the left. 

When the horse will make the circle by the one step 
and the stop, with ease and without assistance, he will be 
made to complete the pirouettes without the stop, step by 



EARLY EDUCATION OF THE HORSE. 77 

step ; his head carried in on the side of the approaching 
croup. That is, if the croup is passing to the right the 
head will be carried to the right, to give an easy and 
graceful carriage to the horse in the movement. 

Pirouettes on the Croup. — In these movements the 
forehand will go about the croup, the inner hind-leg 
being the pivot. To show the horse what is expected of 
him, a few lessons should be given on foot, in the follow- 
ing manner : — The trainer will stand in front of the 
horse, and, taking a snaffle-rein in each hand, in order to 
direct the forehand and to fix the croup, he will lead the 
horse about, a step at a time, taking pains to keep the 
pivot-leg as stationary as is possible under such circum- 
stances. 

He will then mount the horse and put him in equilib- 
rium. With a snaffle-rein in each hand he will, if pirou- 
etting to the left, draw the horse to the left with the rein 
of that side, fixing the croup with the snaffle in the right 
hand. The right leg will be kept close to the side of the 
horse to prevent the croup coming against it, and to keep 
that side of the horse up in its place in the movement if 
required. The forehand will be brought about in this 
way until the horse's position is reversed, and he stands 
facing the direction opposite to that from which he started. 
Then he will be put in line, the right leg of the rider 
being used to bring up the right side of the horse. By 
the assistance of the aids, right and left being exchanged, 
the horse will be practised in the movement to the right. 
In the same way the horse will then be made to complete 
the circle, pivoting on the croup, to the right and to the 
left, the outside leg being brought up as the balance re- 



78 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

quires its support. After the horse will perform these 
pirouettes on the snaffle-bit, the curb will be used at the 
finish of the movement, and then the curb-bit, the reins 
carried in the hand to which the horse turns, will be used. 
Finally the horse will be made to do the pirouettes to 
either side, with the curb-reins carried in the left hand. 
To make the pirouettes on the haunches neatly and 
quickly, the forces of the forehand will be well carried 
back, so that the horse will rise off the ground in mak- 
ing the face about. The hind-leg on the inside is to be 
the pivot, and the other hind-leg will be brought up dur- 
ing the movement to give it the finish. 

After the horse has been taught to traverse, and to make 
the changes in the gallop for which these lessons have 
prepared him, he will be ready to make the pirouettes 
upon the croup in action. To this end he will be ridden in 
circles, then in voltes or circles in which the croup fol- 
lows an inner path and the forehand an outer path : the 
pirouette results when the horse will make the volte with- 
out moving his hind-legs away from the pivoting ground. 

Traversing. — If the reader has mastered all that has 
appeared in these pages to this point, he should be able 
to make his horse perform everything that is possible to 
the animal. It only remains for us to point out the 
best manner for obtaining the best effects in the more 
important movements. 

In traversing or passing sideways to the right and to 
the left, the horse should be placed at such an angle, 
with the line upon which the movement is directed, the 
shoulders in advance of the croup, that his legs may move 
freely and his carriage be light and unconfined. Suppose 



EARLY EDUCATION OF THE HORSE. 79 

the horse is standing perpendicularly to the line of the 
movement, and it is intended to traverse to the right, the 
rider will make the croup pass one step to the left, which 
will bring him into proper position for traversing in the 
opposite direction. The resistance of the shoulders will 
be overcome by the right rein, and the left leg will cause 
the horse to step off to the right, the two aids demand- 
ing the position and the movement, the right leg being 
ready to assist in keeping the horse up in his place, and 
to prevent the croup coming too far to that side. He 
must be kept in equilibrium and at the proper angle to 
the line of march, or the movement will be awkward and 
uneven. He will be made to traverse, at a speed not 
faster than a walk, in direct lines and in circles, to the 
right and to the left, taking care that in the circles the 
body of the horse keeps the proper angle at every point 
in the circumferences. 

He may then be brought to perform the traverse at 
the passage, which is the high step that is produced by 
restraining the advance of the horse, and at the same 
time demanding from him increased action and exertion. 
The horse being at the trot in a direct line, the rider 
will induce the action of the passage by the pressure of 
the legs, alternately as the horse raises the opposite fore- 
leg, and by restraining with the hand any increase of 
speed ; then with the direct rein and opposite leg the 
horse will be made to traverse, the high step of the pas- 
sage being retained in the movement by accentuating the 
pressure of the opposite spur as the horse raises the fore- 
leg on the side to which he is passing. The heel of the 
rider on the side to which the movement tends will be 



80 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

used to keep the horse up to the line, and to prevent the 
croup going over too far. The result should be a regu- 
larly cadenced action, in which the horse dwells at each 
step, the effect of the increased pressure of the rider's 
leg being to keep the legs of the horse suspended for the 
moment. But the croup must not be driven over too 
far, and the equilibrium must be observed. In traversing 
at the passage the weight of the horse is, at each cadence, 
sustained upon two legs diagonally opposed, while the 
other two are carried beyond them in the direction of 
the movement — the shoulders slightly in advance upon 
one path, the croup in simultaneous actions following 
another parallel path. At each step the horse leaves the 
ground, and is for the moment in the air. 

The traverse in the gallop may be obtained by similar 
means. The horse being put into the gallop on the 
direct line, and leading with the legs of the side on 
which the movement will be made. As the horse comes 
upon the ground where the traversing is to begin, he 
will be permitted to make one false step with the croup 
as he takes the position for the traverse, to be corrected 
at the second step in the movement. In the same way, 
when he is put into the direct line, he will be permitted 
to make one false step with the croup to preserve his 
balance, to be brought into the true gallop at the second 
step upon the new line. 

Changes in the Gallop. — It is agreed on all sides 
that the changes in the gallop are not only the most 
striking and important of all the movements, but that in 
them is also found the highest test of the skill of the 
rider. But hardly any two authorities have agreed upon 



EAELY EDUCATION OF THE HOESE. 81 

the method by which this is to be taught, and few can 
be found who hold the same opinion as to the best man- 
ner of making the trained horse change in the gallop. 
We have never had any faith in the method as usually 
accepted, even by the highest authority, of teaching the 
horse to gallop by a false method, to afterwards substi- 
tute a better one in demanding his performance of 
that pace. 

If the forehand of the horse is lightened by bringing 
back its forces, that side will be the lighter from which 
we demand the most ; and to make the horse lead with 
the one side or the other is simply to make the hand act 
more upon the side from which we desire the highest 
action. If, then, we wish to gallop with the right side 
of the horse giving the extended strides, we should make 
play with the bit upon that side of his forehand, and 
bring his croup around with the pressure of the left 
leg. The horse will then lead off as desired, with his 
head in the proper position, and there will be nothing to 
correct. 

Although the direct rein has been, before this time, 
used to teach the gallop, it is for the purpose of pulling 
the shoulders in so that the horse, his croup being 
brought around by the opposite spur, will not be able to 
take the extended step with the outside leg. Although 
this accomplishes the object, it gives cramped and un- 
graceful action. We believe that the theory advanced 
gives the best results, for it is the method that Baucher 
and other great authorities use after the horse has been 
taught by some ruder means. 

To make a horse lead with a certain side, therefore, the 



82 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

direct rein will make play, supported by the oppos- 
ing leg. 

At first the horse will be made to gallop in the line, 
then in circles, gradually diminishing in diameter, 
always leading with the leg of the side to which he is 
going. When the horse will answer to the aids, and will 
lead with either leg, as may be required, without hesita- 
tion or blundering, the rider will turn him from a circle 
to the right or the left, to one on the other hand, apply- 
ing, quickly but without violence, the hand as the fore- 
feet finish the first part, the leg as the hind-feet finish 
the last part of the gallop in the old direction. 

"When this has been accomplished, without destroying 
or interfering with the cadences of the gait, it will be a 
mere matter of practice to make the changes at any 
finished step in the direct line. 

To Stop in the Gallop. — While it is only in the 
gallop in equilibrium that the horse can be brought to a 
finished halt, yet the same means, in a form modified by 
the rider's appreciation of the circumstances, may be 
effectually used to make the horse draw up in the ex- 
tended gallop. 

The horse being in the best approximate equilibrium, 
the rider will bring him to a stop by leaning back and 
pressing in his legs as the hind-legs of the horse begin 
one cadence of the gait, and raise the hand, and bear 
upon the bit as the fore-legs begin the next cadence. 
The result will be that the horse will stop without 
another cadence, for the heels bring in and the weight of 
the body fixes the hind-legs, and the hand restrains and 
brings back the forces of the forehand, and prevents the 



EARLY EDUCATION OF THE HORSE. 83 

mass advancing. These applications of the aids must be 
made with celerity and precision, but without violence. 

To Back. — In backing the horse, the offices of the 
forehand and croup are interchanged ; for now the im- 
pulsion comes from the forehand, and the heels restrain 
and direct the forces of the croup upon the course. 

Standing at the head of the horse, the trainer will 
bring him into equilibrium, taking care that the shoul- 
ders and croup are in a line. Then, with a tap of the 
whip upon the croup, he will induce the beginning of a 
forward movement from that part by the raising of one 
of the hind-legs, but before the mass acquires the for- 
ward motion the horse will be made to carry the raised 
hind-leg one step in rear, by a pressure upon the bit. He 
will then be collected, and made to take one other step 
backwards in the same manner. The next day he may be 
made to take two consecutive steps ; and he will be 
taught carefully and without haste, until he will move 
back several steps and still retain his lightness. 

The rider will then mount the horse, and, having 
brought him into equilibrium, will, by a pressure of the 
legs, induce the raising of one of the hind-legs, which 
will be carried back one step by a pressure of the bit. 
The whole art of teaching the horse to back lies in these 
instructions; but the rider must proceed cautiously, so 
that the horse will acquire the movement in an easy and 
light manner. Let him be satisfied with a few steps well 
done each day, until the horse acquires perfection in the 
movement. The legs will always be carried close to the 
sides of the horse to keep him straight, and to prevent 
the forces from yielding too much ; the hand must influ- 



84 



EIDING AND TEAINING SADDLE-HOESES. 



ence the forces of the forehand only enough to produce 
the backward motion, without bringing them back so far 
as to destroy the equilibrium. When the rider wishes to 
stop the horse backing, he will increase the pressure of 
the legs and yield the hand in some cadence of the 
movement, and will start the horse forward in the walk 
without coming to a marked halt. 

The horse may be made to go backwards with the 
actions of the trot or the gallop, by the same means that 
are used to make him back in the motions of the walk. 




CHAPTER X. 

FRENCH METHOD OF TRAINING. 

There is a method of training, invented by a French 
rider, Baucher, and named after him, which is an effec- 
tive means for making both horse and rider perfect in 
their work. Its details are too minute for repetition 
here, but they are well set forth in " Herbert's Hints to 
Horse-keepers/' and will well reward the attention of 
those who have the time and the enthusiasm to follow 
them out. By their aid, an unbroken horse, if a good 
subject, can be made a very nearly perfect saddle beast in 
two months' time, having a lesson of thirty minutes or 
less, morning and night. 

Its general principles are : To teach the horse but one 
thing at a time ; to teach that thoroughly before pro- 
ceeding with the next step ; to make the lessons so short 
as not to disgust the pupil ; to reward obedience more 
especially than to punish disobedience, or rather non- 
obedience ; to make the horse thoroughly supple in every 
muscle of his body, and to teach him to move all his 
members as easily, under the rider's weight, and under 
the restraint of his hands and legs, as he would do if 
playing in a pasture ; and to practice him in handling 
the rider's weight, and in obeying the rider's impulses 
and restrictions, so that all his movements shall be made 
in accordance with the rider's will rather than his own 
(85) 



86 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

so that lie shall, in fact, make no account at all of his 
own will, but execute that of the man instead. 

We are aware that this sounds like an impossibility, 
but any one who will faithfully study and practice Bau- 
cher's system, will soon see that any horse of tolerable 
form and strength, and of average courage and temper, 
may be brought to this state of discipline without diffi- 
culty. 

The peculiarities of the method are thus set forth by 
Mr. Phillipps : "It begins by enabling the horseman to 
take complete possession of the horse's faculties while at 
rest and in slow motion. This ascendency, once gained, 
need never be lost ; because a good horseman is always 
able to reduce his horse to that state in which it can be 
successfully re- asserted. The horse is, in this manner, 
soon made to perceive that if he escapes from the equilib- 
rium required by his rider, when at a pace which gives 
him the opportunity of doing so, he will immediately 
find himself brought back to a pace at which he may be 
forcibly prevented from doing so. When he once under- 
stands this truth, his self-will is subdued forever." 

Baucher teaches that the horse does his work easily to 
himself and pleasantly to his rider only when he moves 
under the rider's weight, and in obedience to his direc- 
tions, with the same ease and grace, the same perfect 
equilibrium, as when playing with horses in an open pas- 
ture. A horse moving in a state of freedom carries his 
hind-legs so far under him that they carry the weight of 
the hinder part of his body in the easiest way, and so 
give the front-legs only their proper share of work to do. 
The neck is left perfectly free to carry the head in what- 



FRENCH METHOD OF TRAINING. 87 

ever position will best assist in maintaining the balance 
of the body. If we take an unbroken horse, whose 
movements in the pasture are all perfect, and put a rider 
on his back and a bit in his mouth, he will either per- 
form such antics as will make him anything but a pleas- 
ant saddle-horse, or, which is most likely, he will become 
perfectly rigid and awkward, poking out his nose, bear- 
ing on the bit with the full force of his neck, carrying 
too much of the weight on the fore-quarters, and strad- 
dling along with his hind-legs in a very ungainly and 
uncomfortable way. Especially in the canter will he 
seem to plunge with his whole weight on to his fore-feet, 
making his gait both uncomfortable and unsafe. Bau- 
cher's method overcomes these difficulties, empowers the 
rider to carry the weight of both horse and rider on the 
fore-feet, or on the hind-feet, or on all, at pleasure, and 
to soften the rigidity of the neck, and cause the head to 
be carried in an easy position. 

The first step, after having broken the horse to saddle 
and bridle, is with the neck and mouth. Stand at his 
left side, facing his neck, holding the left rein of the 
snaffle in your left hand. Take both curb-reins in your 
right hand, a few inches back of the bit, and draw them 
gently toward the horse's chest, holding him in place, 
and keeping his head quiet with the left hand. The 
horse will at first resist the pressure of the curb, and try 
to throw up his head, but if you are patient and firm, he 
will presently bend his neck, draw in his chin, and 
champ the bit ; then drop the curb-reins, pat his neck, 
and make much of him. Repeat the lesson at short in- 
tervals, until at the slightest touch of the curb he will 



88 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

arcli his neck. This lesson haying been repeated until it 
is perfectly understood, renew it in the saddle, drawing 
on the curb with a steady pressure, until he drops his 
head and champs the bit as before. Reward the first 
sign of obedience by caresses and praise. Eepeat the 
movement, until at the first touch of the rein he lets go 
of the bit, arches his neck, and stands quietly and at 
ease. Even if you have to call assistance to keep him in 
place, do not let him either back or turn around in order 
to get away from the pressure of the bit. 

The next step is to obtain the same control over the 
hind-quarters that you now have over the forehand, and 
you must first teach him to bear the spur without mov- 
ing. Accustom him first to the pressure of the leg and 
of the unarmed boot-heels, and later, of spurs, with cloth 
or leather over the rowels ; when he is perfectly indiffer- 
ent to them, then uncover the rowels. 

Mr. Phillipps says: " When he has learned not to resist 
the spurs, by kicking, he must next be taught to spring 
from them. Get him well in hand, and touch him 
lightly, but firmly, on both sides. If he kicks or winces, 
you are getting on too fast, and must return to the cov- 
ered rowels, if not to the bare heels. ... If he tries to 
move forward, carefully restrain him by the bridle, and 
then, dropping both your legs and hands, caress him, 
and let him stand at ease. Repeat the lesson until the 
slightest pressure of your legs is sufficient to make him 
promptly collect himself, and bring his hind-legs under 
his body." The great point is now secured ; the horse 
has been taught the position you desire him to maintain, 
to carry his weight well on his haunches, to arch his 



FRENCH METHOD OF TRAIHTITO. 89 

neck, and to relax his jaw. Future instructions consist 
mainly in teaching him to preserve this position, and to 
avoid all rigidity at any speed. 

Although you may have taught the hcrse to stand per- 
fectly at his ease while standing still, and to be " light in 
hand and light on his legs," you will find that the 
moment you attempt to move him forward at a walk, he 
will throw, out his nose at the first step, and he as un- 
gainly as ever. Take hold of his mouth immediately and 
endeavor to supple his neck. If he continue the resist- 
ance, halt him at once, bring his head into position, and 
let him rest a moment before advancing again. He will 
soon learn to walk with his mouth light. If he seems 
to step too short, as though too much restrained by the 
curved position, press him lightly with the heels to send 
him forward. You will soon learn when the free move- 
ment of the horse indicates a just balance, or equilibrium, 
between the forehand and the hind-quarters. It is this 
that you must always study to preserve— drawing back 
the head when there is too much forward tendency, and - 
applying the legs when the horse goes, as horsemen say, 
"behind the bit," that is, with an uncertain, short step. 
The next step is not to trot, but to move backward at 
a walk. This you can attempt only when the use of the 
curb causes the horse to bring in his head before it short- 
ens his step. Get him well collected afc a halt ; apply 
the legs until you feel a forward tendency of the weight, 
showing that the hind-legs are free to step ; then draw 
backward on the curb to such a degree that the horse, to 
preserve his balance, will step backward, that is, the 
horse's weight being in perfect balance between your legs 



90 BIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

and hand, so that you can send it in either direction — 
throw it backward by the use of the hand, causing the 
horse instinctively to step in that direction, to prevent 
falling, just as when you force his weight forward he 
advances his feet to receive it. This is the secret of 
Baucher's treatment, and its perfect mastery, accompanied 
with practical skill, is perfect horsemanship. As soon 
as the horse has taken a single step backward, loosen the 
rein and withdraw the legs from his sides, and pet him 
and praise him, to show that he has done what is desired, 
which knowledge is dearer than oats to a kindly- 
tempered horse. After a little he will take two or three 
steps backward, and in time will move backward as 
gracefully as forward. 

Having taught all you can teach of movements in a 
direct line at a walk, repeat the lessons at a trot. You 
will have the same difficulty as in the former case, and 
you will probably be longer in overcoming it. The faster 
the motion, the greater the tendency of the horse to throw 
his weight forward and to bear on the bit. Don't try to 
draw him back by an extra pressure on the curb, but hold 
your hand firm and touch him gently with the spurs ; 
this will drive his hind-legs under him and take the 
weight from the forehand. He will in time learn that 
he can go more easily and more safely with his weight on 
his haunches than on his shoulders, and his gait will then 
become easy instead of hard. When he trots perfectly, 
teach him, which will be easier, to gallop with the same 
collected motion. In doing this, pursue the same routine 
that has been laid down for the walk and the trot ; that 
is, do not allow the horse for a moment to carry his head 



FEE^CH METHOD OF TRAILING. 



91 



too low or too far out, to bore on the bit, as though he 
would drive his fore-feet into the ground, neither let him 
commit the opposite fault of throwing his whole weight 
on his haunches as if to rear, and so make every step a 
miniature jump. The habit of " boring" is inveterate 
with some horses, and can not easily be contended against 
by ordinary means. Baucher had a device, which he 




Fig. 17.— baucher's treatment of boring. 

withheld from publication, that is very effective. Both 
curb-reins and the left snaffle-rein being held in the left 
hand, in its proper position, the right snaffle-rein only 
is taken in the right hand and drawn upward, so as to 
press the snaffle against the corner of the mouth on one 
side, as shown in the engraving. This has an effect that 
an upward pressure on both snaffle-reins entirely fails to 
produce, and its knowledge has given to the personal 



92 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

pupils of Baucher a great advantage oyer those who have 
learned his system from his books alone. 

The gallop will never be perfectly easy and perfectly 
safe until it is what is called perfectly " cadenced " — the 
fore-feet and the hind ones striking the ground with 
equal force, and both neck and tail being perfectly supple. 
A horse travelling in this way may trip over a rolling 
stone at every tenth step without any danger of falling, 
and he will perform a journey of twenty miles with much 
more ease to himself and his rider than he would make 
even five miles with, as is usual, most of the force of 
every leap falling on the fore-feet. 

In accomplishing all this, as much depends on the per- 
fect balance of the rider's temper as on the balance of his 
weight. Above all must nothing provoke or startle him 
to a rough handling of the bit, which is his Ghief means 
of communication with the horse ; a mistake will be 
interpreted precisely as an intention would be, and a very 
few mistakes will suffice to confuse all previous teachings. 
" Firm as a grasp of steel, yet soft as a touch of love," 
this describes the perfect hand, and while it should yield 
to the horse's proper movements and restrain his improper 
ones, as it can do only when guided by instinctive intel- 
ligence, it should be as independent of the movement of 
the rider's body and of its efforts to keep a proper seat as 
though it were an iron hand attached to the pommel of 
the saddle. The legs, too, should be ever ready to per- 
form their office — the thighs, to preserve the rider's seat, 
and the lower limbs ever on the alert to restrain any in- 
terruption of the equilibrium by reason of a faulty posi- 
tion of the horse's hind-legs. 



CHAPTER XL 
WHEN LADIES RIDE. 

All the instructions contained in these pages, except 
60 far as regards those for gymnastics and for the seat, 
will apply to ladies, when the whip will take the place of 
the right leg of the man. 

The whip should be strong and straight, and the horse 
will be trained to answer to its application in exactly the 
same way as to the pressure of the man's leg. 

It is only necessary to say a few words about the seat. 
We have no improvement to suggest in a saddle by a 
good maker, beyond remarking that it must fit the rider, 
and insisting that, in addition to the double safety- 
stirrup, the leathers should hang from spring-bars in the 
tree, the bar inclining upwards from the front, so that 
the stirrup may not be detached in case the rider carries 
her left leg back, as many are in the habit of doing. 

The lady should so sit upon the horse that her weight 
will fall perpendicularly to the back of the horse ; her 
face directly to the front, her shoulders drawn back, and 
her elbows held to her sides. She will permit her body, 
from the hips upwards, to bend with the motions of the 
horse, in order that she may preserve her balance. The 
reins are to be held in the manner prescribed for men, 
the hand in front of the body, and in a line with the 
(93) 



94 RIDING AND TRAINING SADDLE-HORSES. 

elbow. The whip is to be carried in the right hand, 
with the point towards the ground. The horse should 
never be struck with the whip upon the head, neck, or 
shoulder. To apply the aid upon those parts will teach 
him to swerve, and render him nervous at the motions of 
the rider. In a lady's hand, the whip simply takes the 
place of a spur for the right side. 

The horns of the saddle, the superfluous one at the 
right being dispensed with, should be of such lengths 
and curvatures as will suit the rider. 

The right leg will hold the upright horn close in the 
bend in the knee, by such a pressure as the action of the 
horse or other circumstances will dictate. 

The left foot will be thrust into the stirrup to the ball 
of the foot, and the heel will, as a rule, be carried down ; 
but when the heel is elevated, the upper part of the left 
knee should find support in the side-horn, and for that 
end the stirrup-leather will be given such a length as 
will permit this. By the grasp given by the elevation of 
the left knee from the stirrup, and the embrace upon the 
upright h^rn by the right leg, the rider will have as 
strong a seat as her strength can afford ; and with a 
proper balance she will not be likely to find a horse that 
will unseat her. 

As a fall of the horse is attended with great perils to a 
lady rider, she should never be mounted upon an animal 
whose legs betray any weakness, or whose knees give evi- 
dence of stumbling, or upon one that is not master of 
her weight. The lady must see that, in turning to the 
right or left, her horse leads on the side to which he 
bends, and she should carry her inside shoulder slightly 



WHEN LADIES RIDE. 



95 



back at the same time, so that the center of gravity of 
the mass will be preserved. The leg will support the 
horse in turning to the right ; the whip will give support 
in turning to the left. 

The lady who desires to excel in horsemanship should, 
when an opportunity offers, witness the performance of 
some school-rider of her sex. A few public lessons from 
such mistresses of the art will be of very great advantage. 




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